Community Mourns as First Funeral Held For Bondi Beach Shooting Victim

Rabbi Eli Schlanger Remembered as Pillar of Jewish Community Following Tragic Attack

By Sarah Reynolds, Senior Correspondent
December 18, 2025

In a solemn gathering marked by grief and solidarity, hundreds of mourners assembled today to honor the life of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the first funeral held for victims of the devastating Bondi Beach shooting that has shaken Australia and reverberated around the world. Under overcast skies that seemed to mirror the community’s collective sorrow, family members, religious leaders, and community representatives paid their respects to a man described by many as a tireless advocate for Jewish community life and interfaith dialogue.

“Rabbi Schlanger transformed theoretical discussions about community into practical realities,” said David Goldstein, a longtime colleague who delivered one of several emotional eulogies. “His vision wasn’t just about organizing events—it was about creating spaces where Jewish identity could flourish in harmony with broader Australian society.” The funeral procession, following Jewish tradition, proceeded from the synagogue where Rabbi Schlanger had served for over fifteen years to the cemetery, with many attendees walking the entire route in a powerful demonstration of respect despite the summer heat. Three women—identified by community members as Rabbi Schlanger’s daughters—were seen embracing and consoling one another during the ceremony, their grief palpable amidst the hushed prayers and tributes that filled the air.

A Life Dedicated to Community Building Cut Tragically Short

Rabbi Schlanger, 62, was among those killed in Saturday’s shooting at a community celebration he had helped organize at Bondi Beach, a popular Sydney destination transformed into a scene of chaos and terror when a lone gunman opened fire on attendees. As a key organizer of the Jewish cultural event, Schlanger had been enthusiastically greeting participants just moments before gunshots erupted across the beachfront gathering. Colleagues describe his final act as pushing several children to safety before he was struck by multiple bullets—an account that authorities have not yet officially confirmed but which mourners referenced repeatedly during the service.

“He lived as he died—thinking of others first,” said Sarah Levy, who worked with Rabbi Schlanger on numerous community initiatives over the past decade. The shooting, which claimed six lives and left fourteen others injured, has been classified as a terrorist incident by Australian authorities, though investigations into the attacker’s motives continue. Prime Minister Alicia Chen, who attended today’s funeral alongside opposition leaders in a rare display of political unity, described the attack as “an assault on Australia’s core values of multiculturalism and religious freedom.” Rabbi Schlanger’s role as both victim and organizer of the targeted event has made his funeral particularly significant as the first formal mourning ritual following the attack, with international media present and security measures visibly enhanced throughout the ceremony.

Investigation Continues as Community Processes Grief

While the community focused on honoring Rabbi Schlanger’s memory today, the investigation into the Bondi Beach shooting continues at an intensive pace. Police Commissioner Thomas Murphy confirmed yesterday that the attacker, whose identity has been withheld pending further investigation, appears to have specifically targeted the Jewish cultural celebration. “We have recovered significant evidence suggesting premeditation and specific animus toward the Jewish community,” Murphy stated at a press conference. “Digital forensics and witness accounts are building a clearer picture of radicalization preceding this attack.”

The shooting has prompted intensified security at Jewish institutions across Australia and renewed debates about extremism, hate crime legislation, and the balance between security and community openness. Rabbi Schlanger had been a vocal advocate for maintaining accessibility to religious spaces while implementing prudent security measures—a philosophy that many speakers at his funeral noted with poignant irony. “Eli believed that fear should never be allowed to create barriers between communities,” noted Cantor Joseph Bergman during the service. “He would want us to respond to this hatred not by retreating behind walls but by building stronger bridges.” Australian Federal Police confirmed that security will remain enhanced at all remaining funerals for victims of the attack, with specialized units deployed at Jewish facilities nationwide for the foreseeable future.

A Legacy of Interfaith Dialogue and Community Building

As director of the Eastern Suburbs Jewish Community Center for over a decade, Rabbi Schlanger had pioneered numerous programs bringing together diverse religious and cultural groups across Sydney. The beachfront celebration that became the target of Saturday’s attack had itself been designed as an opportunity to showcase Jewish cultural traditions while welcoming participation from the broader community. Significantly, representatives from Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, and Indigenous Australian communities were present at today’s funeral, many offering formal condolences and pledges of solidarity.

“Rabbi Schlanger taught us that security comes not just from barriers and guards, but from genuine understanding between communities,” said Imam Abdul Rahman from the Sydney Islamic Cultural Center, who had worked with Schlanger on several interfaith initiatives. “His legacy challenges us to respond to this tragedy by deepening our connections, not severing them.” The rabbi’s work had extended beyond religious contexts to include partnerships with schools, civic organizations, and government agencies focused on social cohesion. A scholarship program he established had funded educational exchanges between Australian religious communities and similar groups internationally, with over 200 young Australians participating in cross-cultural immersion experiences over the past five years. Family members announced at the funeral that this program would be expanded and renamed in Rabbi Schlanger’s honor.

Australia Confronts Rising Tensions and Calls for Unity

The Bondi Beach shooting represents the deadliest attack targeting Australia’s Jewish community in the nation’s history, occurring against a backdrop of increasing antisemitic incidents globally. Data released last month by the Australian Commission on Religious Freedom documented a 43% increase in reported antisemitic incidents across Australia over the previous year, a trend mirrored in many Western democracies. Rabbi Schlanger had himself published an opinion piece in The Sydney Morning Herald just three weeks before his death, warning about the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric and calling for renewed commitment to multicultural values.

“We gather today not just to mourn a beloved community leader, but to confront a darkness that threatens the fabric of our diverse society,” said New South Wales Premier Michael Thompson during remarks at the funeral. “Rabbi Schlanger’s response to rising hatred was never to retreat but to engage more deeply—to teach, to explain, to build relationships that could withstand the forces seeking to divide us.” As the funeral concluded with the traditional Kaddish prayer, attendees from diverse backgrounds joined together in a moment of silence that transcended religious boundaries. Rabbi Schlanger’s widow, Rebecca, supported by family members, thanked the assembled mourners and requested that rather than sending flowers, people should commit to “one act of unexpected kindness toward someone different from yourself—this would honor Eli’s memory more than any memorial.”

Moving Forward: Healing and Remembrance

As Australia prepares for the remaining funerals of those killed at Bondi Beach, Rabbi Schlanger’s service has established a tone of determined resilience amid profound grief. Community leaders announced plans for a permanent memorial to all victims, to be designed through a collaborative process involving multiple faith communities. A public vigil scheduled for tomorrow evening at Bondi Beach has already drawn commitments of attendance from thousands of Sydneysiders, with satellite events planned in Melbourne, Brisbane, and other major cities.

“Rabbi Schlanger would want us to remember that even in our darkest moments, we have the capacity to create light,” concluded Rabbi David Silverstein, who will oversee the remaining funeral services for Jewish victims of the attack. “His final project brought people together in celebration, and though it ended in tragedy, that spirit of connection must be what endures.” As mourners dispersed following the burial, many lingered to embrace family members and share personal memories of a man described repeatedly as someone who lived his values daily. The image of three grieving women—Rabbi Schlanger’s daughters—supporting one another captured by photojournalists has already become a powerful symbol of the personal devastation behind the headlines of this national tragedy. In the coming days, as Australia continues to process both the loss and implications of the Bondi Beach attack, Rabbi Eli Schlanger’s funeral will likely be remembered as more than just the first formal mourning ritual—it represents the beginning of a community’s long journey toward healing and renewed purpose in the face of violence meant to divide.