Rabbi killed in Australia Hanukkah attack was ‘very special,’ Toronto relative says

TORONTO – A rabbi killed in the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia is being remembered by family members in Toronto for his positivity and commitment to bringing Judaism to others. 

Eli Schlanger, an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, was one of at least 15 people killed at the Bondi Beach event he had helped organize. At least 38 others were wounded in what police said was an attack by a father and son.

Estee Schlanger of Toronto, who is married to the rabbi’s older brother, remembers him as a “very positive and happy person” who was always encouraging others to do mitzvot, otherwise known as good deeds. 

“Whether it was encouraging people, Jewish people, to put up a mezuzah on their front door … or for people to light the Hanukkah menorah, (he was) just encouraging people to become closer to their Judaism,” Estee said in an interview. 

She said Schlanger, who grew up in the United Kingdom and settled in Australia, left behind his wife and five children, including a newborn. He was 40 years old. 

“He was a wonderful father, a wonderful husband and he really helped to build up the community on Bondi Beach,” Estee said. 

She said the rabbi, who was the second youngest of 10 children, had three siblings living in Australia who are traumatized by the loss. Two of them were also at the beach the day their brother was killed, she added. 

“It was very hard to even speak with them (afterwards),” she said. “They were beside themselves. … They couldn’t even deal with the loss of their brother, because they’re also trying to calm their kids down after what they had just experienced on the beach. It was Eli that lost his life, but the entire family that was there.”

Her family in Canada and abroad has been concerned about rising antisemitism in Australia, she said. 

Back in Toronto, it’s been difficult for Estee and her husband to wrap their heads around what happened.

“It’s been hard for my husband to process (the death of) his little brother,” she said. “You cannot even imagine that something like this can happen to somebody in your family.”

Her husband and several of his siblings are in Israel with their parents, where they’ll sit shiva for Schlanger. 

Estee said those who worked with Schlanger also have fond memories of him and referred to him as a “very special person.” 

Levi Gansburg, who is the rabbi at Chabad on Bayview in Toronto, also knew Schlanger after the two studied in the rabbinical seminary together. He recalled Eli as a “vivacious” person who dedicated his life to “helping others strictly with goodness and kindness.”

In the Ottawa area, Bassy Mendelsohn said her family is still grappling with the news of the shooting. She learned of the attack when she woke up Sunday morning after reading a message from her brother, who is a rabbi in Sydney, that simply read: “Pray, there’s terrorists at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach.”

“We were just horrified,” Mendelsohn said.

Mendelsohn’s nephew was at the beach with his four-year-old daughter when the shooting happened. She hasn’t spoken with him directly since the news of the shooting broke, but she’s heard from her brother that he’s still reeling from the attack. 

Mendelsohn said she has several friends who were hurt in the attack, and she is also close friends with one of Schlanger’s sisters. 

“Everyone’s very connected in the Jewish world. Even though Australia sounds far, this is my friend’s brother. My nephew was there, his little four-year-old is there,” she said. 

Mendelsohn said even though she feels a “terrible sadness,” it’s important that Hanukkah celebrations move forward as planned this week. She said it was “the Jewish way” to keep moving forward as planned after tragedy. 

“You just have to try your best to keep happy things going, even though they’re sad … It can’t drag you down to live in fear. The only way is light,” she said. 

She also called on politicians across Canada to push back on hate speech. 

At an event in Toronto on Monday, MP Evan Solomon pointed to proposed legislation that introduces new offences for intimidation and obstruction outside religious or cultural buildings and makes it a criminal offence to willfully promote hatred through hate symbols. 

“This is a tragedy. This is antisemitism. We need to stand against this,” Solomon, the minister of artificial intelligence who is also a member of the Jewish community, said of the attack in Australia.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford acknowledged the shooting, saying at an event in Niagara Falls on Monday that acts of antisemitism are “unacceptable.”

“We need to come together to support our Jewish friends and neighbours as they grieve and to help them feel safe in our communities,” he said, adding he was happy to see many Hanukkah celebrations across the province continued on Sunday night. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney also spoke at a menorah lighting ceremony in Ottawa on Sunday, where he said he “will not rest until we move from protection to true thriving.”

In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised stronger gun laws as he called the massacre an act of antisemitic terrorism that struck at the heart of the nation.

Police shot the two suspected gunmen, a father and son. The 50-year-old father died at the scene. His 24-year-old son remained in a coma in hospital on Monday, Albanese said. Police have not released their names.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2025.

— With files from Allison Jones and Fatima Raza in Toronto, Jim Bronskill in Ottawa and The Associated Press.