LONDON-BORN rabbi Eli Schlanger has been named as one of the victims in the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.
Rabbi Schlanger was one of 11 people killed after two gunmen opened fire during a Hannukah party.
The father-of-five an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, a Jewish cultural centre.
According to Jewish News, his family attended the Kinloss synagogue in Finchley.
His first cousin, Rabbi Zalman Lewis, told Jewish News: “How can a joyful rabbi who went to a beach to spread happiness and light, to make the world a better place, have his life ended in this way?
“We can only respond by doing what Eli would have wanted, what he dedicated his life to – doing more mitzvot (good deeds) and to keep spreading positive energy.”
Lewis said that Schlanger was born in north-west London and moved with his family as a child to New York before marrying an Australian.
“He was incredibly vivacious. He was full of life, a really pleasant, warm person who really loved helping people and was always a real joy to chat with.”
Local authorities have confirmed that 12 people died at the scene, including one of the gunmen.
The second suspect was also shot and taken into custody in critical condition.
Police are currently trying to work out if a third gunman was involved.
At least another 29 people – including children – were injured in the attack.
Two police officers were also shot and wounded during the melee.
Witnesses said two men stepped out a vehicle on Campbell Parade near the Bondi Pavilion, and opened fire at about 6.40pm.
Footage appears to show two people dressed in black firing at groups of people near the beach.
Another video captured the moment a heroic bystander tackled one of the gunmen, wrestling the weapon away from him.
A second shooter was seen on a nearby footbridge.
The firearms used – three of which were found – appear to be semiautomatic.
Videos of crowds of people running for their lives have flooded social media.
The event, called Chanukah by the Sea, had been advertised as an evening of family fun, before it descended into scenes of horror.
In the aftermath of the ordeal, detectives carried out a raid on a home in Sydney’s southwest.
The street was cordoned off as the home in question is said to be where the alleged shooters live.
Police were searching for explosive devices after receiving a report that a bomb had been planted under a footbridge.
Australian media later reported that explosives had been removed from an armoured vehicle in Campbell Parade.
New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon said his officers discovered a vehicle in Bondi which they think has “several improvised explosive devices” inside.
Questions remain about how the men were able to hold of guns given Australia’s particularly strict laws prohibiting their possession.
Australian officials and members of the Jewish community have been reacting to the terror attack.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a Canberra press conference: “An act of evil antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”
“The evil that was unleashed at Bondi Beach today is beyond comprehension, and the trauma and loss that families are dealing with tonight is beyond anyone’s worst nightmare.”
Albanese added: “We have seen Australians today run towards danger in order to help others. These Australians are heroes and their bravery has saved lives.”
British PM Sir Keir Starmer reacted to the “deeply distressing” news, saying: “The United Kingdom sends our thoughts and condolences to everyone affected by the appalling attack in Bondi Beach.”
Politicians must wake up to threat
THE Jewish community in Sydney lives peacefully among the sand and sea.
They work hard, spend weekends surfing, jogging along the golden crescent coastline, and slurp green smoothies under the blazing sun – like every other Bondi Aussie.
They chill on the beach, and every year at Chanukah they eat jam doughnuts and light a menorah.
I know this all too well because the eastern suburbs of Sydney are where I grew up – my life before moving to the UK.
Bondi is home to Sydney’s vibrant Jewish community, including my grandmother, sister, aunts and many cousins.
In a tragic turn, the beautiful beach life I enjoyed until 19 is no more.
Sydney’s small, quiet Jewish community, like Britain’s, now finds itself at the mercy of Islamist extremists.
These vile radicals – who do not represent mainstream Muslims – have been left to fester, almost unchecked, in closed-off pockets that refuse to integrate with wider society.
They’re aided and abetted by woke lefties who are obsessed with Israel.
Most dangerously, they’re wilfully ignored by MPs who enjoy the votes that come with appeasing them.
The result of politicians in Australia and Britain turning a blind eye to these dangerous extremists is death.
Death that struck at the Heaton Park Synagogue on Yom Kippur, in my adopted home of England.
And death in my birthplace this Chanukah, at a joyful party by the Sydney sea.
Thankfully my family in Bondi are all ok – but they are also distraught with fear.
Until politicians, particularly Labour, wake up to this threat, more of these grim days will unfold.
Leave a sick, twisted ideology like extremist Islamism to rot, and consequences follow.
For some Labour MPs that may mean more votes – but for my deeply patriotic, quiet community, who just want to get on with life, it means murder.
I hope politicians choose the right path.
By Noah Hoffman