Mourners packed the Shabad of Bondi Synagogue today for the funeral of British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
He was one of 15 people killed in Sunday’s attack and one of the main organisers of the Hannukah event.
Friends and family wept as they arrived to pay their respects – embracing each other, grieving together and reflecting on the huge impact the rabbi had on this community.
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Breaking down as he spoke, mourner Michael Shamrakov said: “He was the kindest man you ever knew. He’d do anything for you.
“He’d never say no. He’d always have fun with you. He meant the world to us.”
Rabbi Schlanger, 41, was also a father of five. He’d welcomed a new son, just two months ago.
Inside a packed synagogue, where his family gripped onto his coffin as they wept, people mourned a man with a huge influence and inspiration.
The funeral marks the first day of seven days of mourning. But the impact of the attack on Bondi Beach will endure long after that.
Here, the grieving found solace in song and being able to hold and console each other.
“It’s raw emotion, the love, the unity that we felt, the brokenness that we all felt together,” Rabbi Yossi Freidman said as he walked alongside the cortege – with many weeping as they made their way to bury their friend.
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It was the first of many funerals. Each one a searing reminder of the threat the community faces and the vulnerability it feels.
But there was huge determination on show too – with many saying how important it was for them to hold their heads high, to show they will not cede to those who try to divide them.
