Sydney mourners remember slain rabbi at Bondi Beach funeral

By Christine Chen and Scott Murdoch

SYDNEY, Dec 17 (Reuters) – Hundreds of mourners gathered in a Bondi synagogue for the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger on Wednesday, a few blocks away from the beach where he was gunned down, one of the first of many services for the Hanukkah festival shooting victims.

Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, Schlanger’s father-in-law, told the service Jewish people should not be scared of visiting Bondi Beach in the wake of Sunday’s mass shooting. He said local rabbis would organise an event for the end of Hanukkah to light eight candles this Sunday at the scene of the tragedy.

Schlanger was killed at the ‘Chanukah by the Sea’ event organised by Chabad of Bondi, where he was an assistant rabbi. Fifteen people were killed in the mass shooting, allegedly carried out by a father and son. A funeral for Rabbi Yaakov Levitan will be held later on Wednesday in Sydney, according to a Chabad of Bondi notice.

Schlanger, 41, recently became a father for the fifth time. He was born in Britain but had lived in Sydney for the past 18 years.

Rabbi Ulman repeatedly broke down in tears as he remembered his son-in-law. Family members were seen crying and leaning over his casket before the funeral.

“You became everything to me, my hands, my feet. Your dedication to me knew no limits, I could rely on you for everything,” he said.

“You were my son, my friend, my confidant…to go a day without you seems impossible.”.

CALL FOR STRENGTH

Rabbi Ulman said Jewish people should not be afraid of visiting Bondi Beach, Sydney’s most popular beach that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The shootings, he said, should not stop Jewish people from celebrating and displaying their faith.

“When those animals that look like humans try and destroy us, the hope is that we will become dormant, we’ll go down and be afraid,” he said.

“But that is not the answer … we can never ever allow them to not only succeed but any time they try something we become greater and stronger.”

The funeral of Matilda, a 10-year-old girl who died in the shooting, will be held on Thursday, according to an online funeral notice.

The crowd of mourners in Bondi spilled outside the synagogue. Dozens who could not get a seat gathered at the front of the venue and stood on the footpath and watched the funeral’s livestream on their phones.

Prayers in Hebrew and English were read during the service, including one by his brother-in-law Rabbi Mendel Kastel.

Security was heightened in Bondi Beach, with a heavy presence of police as well as a contingent of private security guards and Jewish security services. State police cordoned off the street leading to the synagogue and conducted bag searches of attendees and media.

Mourners, including many men wearing yarmulkes, were shown in the synagogue, on a livestream of the funeral.

At the ceremony’s close, eight police officers in ceremonial dress formed an honour guard for the hearse. The officers then led the procession down the street, followed by the black Ford hearse and a crowd of mourners.

Halfway down the street the procession paused and broke out into lamentation. Men at the front did not take their hands off the hearse while singing a nigun, a song without words.

Attendees – some crying out in grief – were shielded from the media as they left the synagogue.

New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns, who has backed calls for tougher gun laws, federal opposition leader Sussan Ley and local member Allegra Spender were at the funeral. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was not at the service and said earlier on Wednesday he would attend funerals if he was invited.

One mourner Stan Gol, 44, said Schlanger was selfless, caring and would be dearly missed by his community.

Gol and Rabbi Ulman said Schlanger would often drive up to four hours each way to visit some of the state’s prisons and meet with Jewish inmates.

“We miss him dearly. He was there for everyone, he didn’t care whether you were wealthy or poor,” Gol said outside the Bondi synagogue.

(Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney, writing by Scott Murdoch; Editing by Michael Perry and Lincoln Feast)