Holocaust Survivor Among 15 Dead in Antisemitic Attack at Australian Hanukkah Event

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A Holocaust survivor was among the 15 people killed Sunday in an antisemitic attack on a crowded Australian beach during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration that has shocked the country and reverberated around the world.

The horror began Sunday evening just before sunset when two armed men opened fire on the crowd gathered for “Chanukah by the Sea,” a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach. Witnesses described chaos as dozens of shots rang out, prompting people to dive for cover in the sand, seek refuge in nearby buildings, or run toward the water. One attacker was killed at the scene, and the other was wounded and taken into custody after being confronted by a heroic bystander.

Australian media identified the assailants as Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24. Authorities said an ISIS flag recovered from a vehicle connected to the suspects suggests they had pledged allegiance to the Islamic extremist group.

Another 40 were injured. The dead range in age from 10 to 87, authorities said.

Among those killed was Alexander Kleytman, a Jewish man who lived with his family in what is now modern-day Serbia during World War II – a region invaded and occupied by Nazi forces in 1941. An estimated 67,000 Jews were killed in Yugoslavia, which included Serbia at the time.

Kleytman survived the Holocaust but perished Sunday as he lay atop his wife, Larisa, who survived. The charity JewishCare profiled the couple in 2023, writing of Alexander that his memories of the Holocaust “are particularly harrowing; recalling the dreadful conditions in Siberia where he, along with his mother and younger brother, struggled for survival.” The family later moved to Australia.

“[Alex] was behind me, and at one moment he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me,” Larisa told the Australian, saying he threw her to the ground to try and protect her.

He was then shot.

“I have no husband,” Larisa said.

The tragedy potentially could have been even worse if not for the heroics of Ahmed al Ahmed, a 44-year-old business owner who became an Australian citizen in 2022 and was at Bondi Beach when the shooting unfolded. A now-viral video shows Ahmed sneaking up behind one of the gunmen before he jumped on his back and wrestled away the gun. Ahmed did not fire it.

“He doesn’t regret what he did. He said he’d do it again. But the pain has started to take a toll on him,” Sam Issa, the hero’s migration lawyer, told The Sydney Morning Herald.

Ahmed suffered about five bullet wounds and may lose his left arm.

“Ahmed’s a humble man, he’s not interested in coverage, he just did what he was compelled to do as a human being on that day,” Issa said. “He gets that gratitude from being in Australia. This is his way of conveying his gratitude for staying in Australia, for being granted citizenship. He has really appreciated this community, and he felt that as a member of the community, he had to act that way and contribute.”

Meanwhile, Christian leaders around the world are speaking out, expressing solidarity with the Jewish community. California pastor Greg Laurie labeled it a “wicked act of antisemitism.”

Another wicked act of antisemitism. Hatred toward Jewish people is evil, and as Christians, we must speak out against it. Our hearts go out to the families of those who were murdered in Australia. We also thank God for the heroic actions of the man who stopped the attacker.…

— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) December 14, 2025

“Hatred toward Jewish people is evil, and as Christians, we must speak out against it,” Laurie wrote on X/Twitter. “Our hearts go out to the families of those who were murdered in Australia. We also thank God for the heroic actions of the man who stopped the attacker.”

Evangelist Franklin Graham also spoke out, writing, “Join me in praying for those who were injured and the families of those whose lives were taken in this act of evil fueled by hatred.”

An attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, has left at least 15 people dead and 40 hospitalized. It is being investigated as an act of terrorism targeting Jewish men, women, and children. Israeli President Isaac Herzog said, "At these very moments, our sisters and…

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 15, 2025

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Photo Credit: ©Getty Images / Audrey Richardson / Stringer

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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