Chabad rabbi killed in Bondi Hanukkah massacre was ‘warm, well-liked’

The Chabad rabbi who was killed in the terror attack at a Hanukkah party at Bondi Beach was “a warm individual, full of energy and very well liked,” a spokesperson for the movement says.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, the assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi in Sydney, was one of at least 11 killed in the terror attack. At least 13 were seriously injured.

According to Chabad, the 40-year-old rabbi was born in England, and studied at Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim in Brunoy, France. He received his rabbinic ordination at the central Lubavitch yeshiva in Crown Heights.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was murdered in the terrorist attack in Sydney during Hanukkah, leaves behind a wife and four children. pic.twitter.com/4BKcs6xttT

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 14, 2025

Schlanger is survived by his wife and children, including a 2-month-old baby.

In an interview about Australia’s rising antisemitism on the Chabad website in March, Schlanger encouraged Jews to stand proudly in the face of hatred.

“My car — emblazoned with mitzvah symbols — is a living example of pride and resilience,” he said then.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was among the 11 murdered at the terror attack at the public menorah lighting and Chanukah event in Australia, had this post pinned to his account.
His call was that in the face of darkness, the way forward is to “be more Jewish, act more Jewish and… https://t.co/FfLJJejJCm

— Chabad.org (@Chabad) December 14, 2025

He encouraged others to embrace their Jewish identities more strongly as a response to growing hate.

“Be more Jewish, act more Jewish and appear more Jewish,” he said at the time.

“Now it’s our turn to step up and live that out,” the spokesman says.