Bondi Beach victim Rabbi Eli Schlanger has been remembered as “one of the purest and most sincere people” at his funeral in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Rabbi Schlanger was farewelled at the Chabad of Bondi Synagogue on Wednesday morning, the first funeral to be held after Sunday’s terror attack.
The event was heavily guarded by police and security teams.
Rabbi Schlanger was one of 15 people who were killed by 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram.Â
Mourners gather around Rabbi Eli Schlang’s coffin. (ABC News: Courtney Barrett Peters)
Read more on the Bondi Beach shooting:
Hundreds of people were attending the Chanukah by the Sea event celebrating a Jewish festival, which Rabbi Schlanger helped organise.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison, Liberal leader Sussan Ley and NSW Premier Chris Minns were among those to attend the funeral.
Mourners at the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger. (AP: Mark Baker)
‘Massive’ loss for Jewish nation
Rabbi Levi Wolff described Rabbi Schlanger as “one of the purest and most sincere and compassionate people any of us have known”.Â
“An outstandingly devoted husband, an exemplary and loving father, a supportive and caring son and son-in-law, a brother, a brother-in-law and uncle, and a loyal and inspirational friend,” he said.
“In his life and in his death, he towered above as one of the highest and holiest souls.”
There was a heightened police presence at the Bondi synagogue. (ABC News: Courtney Barrett Peters)
He said the loss was “massive for the entire Jewish nation”.
“The thousands of souls that Eli touched will be forever grateful to have known him,” Rabbi Wolff said.
“Now is the time to cry, but then we will rise, and we will take up rabbi Eli’s work.”
A selfless man
Rabbi Schlanger’s father-in-law, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, started his speech with heavy breath and said it was “unthinkable” to be talking about his son-in-law in the past tense.
“You became everything to me: my hands, my feet … I could rely on you for everything,” he said.
“Eli did the work of so many. I couldn’t replace him with 20 people.”
He said Rabbi Schlanger was deeply entrenched in the community and provided support to those in hospitals and prisons, sometimes driving up to four hours each way to provide religious support.
He had even helped a prisoner the day before he was killed.
Mourners prepare at the Chabad of Bondi Synagogue before the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger. (AAP: Mick Tsikas)
But he never wanted a piece of the limelight.
“Any time that he went to visit chief rabbis of Israel or other very big names, he refused to be in any photos. He said, ‘I’m here to take the photos’,” Rabbi Ulman said.
“Everybody just fell in love with him, his personality, what he represented.”
He described Sunday’s attack as “our own seventh of October”, referencing the deadly Hamas attack on Israel in 2023, when around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and more than 250 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies and Amnesty.
Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, father-in-law of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, speaks at his funeral. (Reuters/Pool: Mark Baker)
Rabbi Ulman’s message to Rabbi Schlanger’s children was that he “will continue to look after you”.Â
“We will pledge that we will be family, myself, my wife, the whole family, and without any doubt, the community for now will be Eli’s hands and feet and heart to make sure that you will be looked after,” he said.
A large number of mourners attended the service at the Bondi synagogue. (ABC News)
Before finishing his speech, Rabbi Ulman urged the Jewish community to stay strong.
“When those animals who look like humans try to destroy us, their hope is somehow we’ll go dormant, we’ll go down, be afraid,” he said.
“We can never ever allow them not only to succeed, but any time they try something, we become greater and stronger.”
Rabbi Schlanger had been a religious leader for 18 years and was the head of the Bondi Chabad mission.
He and his wife had just celebrated the birth of their new child two months ago.
The ABC understands he joined Corrective Services NSW in 2022 and travelled around the state offering Jewish religious support and counselling to prisoners.