A young rabbi from Texas is fighting for his life in an Australian hospital after heroically shielding a critically injured police officer during the Bondi Beach massacre.
A Heroic Act Amidst Terror
Leibel Lazaroff, aged 20, was volunteering at the Hanukkah by the Sea event in Sydney on Sunday when two gunmen opened fire on the crowd. The student, who had moved to Australia in September for a rabbinical internship, found himself at the heart of the nightmare.
According to his family, who have set up a GoFundMe page, Leibel was shot while crouching over a severely wounded Australian police officer. He used his own shirt as a tourniquet in a desperate attempt to stem the officer's bleeding, putting his life at risk for a stranger.
"Leibel has undergone multiple life-saving surgeries for severe abdominal and leg injuries and faces a long road of ongoing surgeries and medical treatment," the family statement confirmed.
A Family's Agonising Wait
His parents, Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff and Manya Lazaroff, flew from Texas to be at his bedside in the intensive care unit. In a post on X on Tuesday, Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff described the anguish of the journey. "Sitting on a very long plane ride to Australia from Texas, while still grappling with the lives lost and communicating with the hospital as my son Leibel goes into multiple surgeries for his life threatening injuries," he wrote.
He condemned the attackers, a father and son duo, accusing them of being "filled with an ideology of Jewish hatred." He framed the attack as a battle between "good vs evil, light vs darkness," and asked the public, "It's your choice to make. Who are you?"
Speaking to Nine News, his terrified father said he felt "helpless" upon arriving in Sydney. He revealed that Leibel had not been able to light his menorah since the start of Hanukkah and asked people to light candles in his honour for a speedy recovery.
Long Road to Recovery
Leibel's brother, Rabbi Menachem Lazaroff, told the Daily Mail that his sibling had been in the ICU and was intubated. "He had another two-hour surgery recently. They just removed more shrapnel from his abdomen and his leg," he said on Monday.
He detailed further injuries, including liver, rib, and tissue damage, but added that doctors were optimistic for his survival. The fundraising campaign has so far raised $4,000 to assist with international medical expenses, emergency travel, and childcare for the family's young children.
Leibel, the third oldest of nine siblings and a talented pianist, had recently studied at a yeshiva in Brooklyn before beginning his internship in Australia. "Being a rabbi kind of runs in the family," his brother Menachem said, adding that Leibel was "very busy organising and helping others."
It remains unclear if Leibel is aware of the full extent of the tragedy, including that his mentor, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who organised the Hanukkah event, was among the 16 people killed. Rabbi Schlanger, the first victim to be publicly named, leaves behind a wife and five young children, including a two-month-old baby who is still in hospital. Hundreds, including NSW Premier Chris Minns and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, attended his funeral at the Chabad of Bondi on Wednesday.
