Slain Bondi Beach Rabbi Urged Australian PM Months Before: ‘Do Not Betray the Jewish People’

Chabad emissary Rabbi Eli Schlanger, killed in Sunday’s terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, Australia, had warned months earlier that the government must not betray the Jewish people.

Schlanger, who was the organizer of the “Chanukah by The Sea” event, was among the twelve killed. Another 29 were rushed to the hospital after the attack—where at least 1,000 others were in attendance.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, Schlanger directly addressed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese—who has frequently criticized Israel—in a letter urging him not to betray the Jewish people.

“As a rabbi in Sydney, I beg you not to betray the Jewish people and not God Himself,” Schlanger wrote. “Jews have been torn from their land again and again by leaders who are now remembered with contempt in the pages of history.”

Schlanger added that Israel is the land “given by G-d to Abraham, then to his son Isaac, and then to Jacob, to be the eternal homeland of the Jewish people.”

The letter came after Australia recognized a Palestinian state and the United Nations General Assembly voted to recognize Palestinian statehood.

“You have an opportunity to stand on the side of truth and justice. By rescinding this act of betrayal, you will not only honor the Jewish people and our heritage but also align yourself with the word of God,” he added. “Should you choose this path, you will be welcomed home with open arms and even a warm Shabbat meal. I congratulate you in advance for the courage to do what is right and to stand firmly against this act of heresy.”

Schlanger’s last post on X, from last Chanukah, said the “best response to combat antisemitism” is to display more menorahs, including electric ones on top of cars. In a video, he can be seen smiling and dancing.

The best response to antisemitism. Happy Chanukah! pic.twitter.com/33RSGYzhUY

— Rabbi Eli Schlanger (@SchlangerEli) December 17, 2024

According to Chabad, Schlanger was the assistant rabbi and the son-in-law to the head rabbi, Rabbi Yehoram who founded Chabad of Bondi decades ago.

“Since the Oct. 7, terror attacks in Israel in 2023, Australian Jewry has been under attack,” Chabad wrote. “Multiple synagogues have been burnt and vandalized, Jewish homes and cars have been graffitied with antisemitic, and massive protests in major cities, including calls for the genocide of Jews and Israel’s destruction, have made it dangerous for Jewish people.”

Earlier this year, Schlanger wrote that security was tightened at their community and that attendance at their events significantly increased in the face of Jew-hatred.

“Since Oct. 7, there have been weekly demonstrations in the heart of the city, about a 20-minute drive from the eastern Jewish suburbs,” he told Chabad News. “These demonstrations haven’t reached our area. It is mostly quiet here.”

He added that he had “never personally been the target of antisemitism” and encouraged people to “be more Jewish, act more Jewish and appear more Jewish.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Albanese of betraying Israel and abandoning Australia’s Jewish community after Australia recognized a Palestinian state and barred members of Netanyahu’s coalition from entering the country in August. Netanyahu said history would remember Albanese as a “weak politician.”

Antisemitism in Australia has surged following the October 7 massacre in Israel, which left more than 1,000 people dead, including just days after when about 1,000 anti-Israel protesters in Sydney chanted antisemitic slogans, including “gas the Jews.”

Earlier this month, at the J7 Task Force Summit in Sydney, the Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidents across Australia have surged to nearly five times their pre-October 7 levels. The report documented 1,654 incidents over the past year, including arson attacks targeting synagogues, preschools, and other Jewish institutions.