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Teenager Shields Children During Bondi Beach terror Attack, Community mourns victims
As Australia’s Jewish community begins to mourn the loss of 15 people killed in a horrific antisemitic attack, the story of 14-year-old Chaya Dadon’s bravery is emerging as a beacon of hope amidst unimaginable tragedy. The attack, which unfolded on Sunday evening at Bondi Beach during a joyous Hanukah celebration, has left 17 patients hospitalized as of Wednesday evening, with 41 initially requiring medical attention – including four children.
A Desperate Act of Courage
As bullets rang out at the iconic Australian beach, Chaya Dadon heard a desperate plea for help. A woman, amidst the unfolding chaos, begged the teenager to take her children. Without hesitation, Chaya rushed from were she had been sheltering with a friend and instinctively laid her body over the two younger children, shielding them from the gunfire. Moments later, she was struck in the leg.
“She is not giving up,” Chaya’s grandfather, Rabbi Yaakov Lieder, said, describing a video he saw circulating on social media depicting his granddaughter’s selfless act. “Her instinct is to save lives while these terrorists are killing people. What a contrast.”
A Gentle Soul Defined by Selflessness
rabbi Lieder described Chaya as a “sensitive” and “gentle soul” who consistently prioritizes the well-being of others.”She always wants to make sure that nobody gets hurt,” he shared, recalling how Chaya would frequently ask him, “What can I do to help you?” Her desire for peace was also a defining characteristic, always seeking to bridge divides when people gathered.
According to Rabbi Lieder, Chaya’s very name – meaning “life” – embodies her spirit. “She always wants to make people happy.”
The identity of the woman who pleaded for Chaya’s help, and the two children she protected, remain unknown as of Wednesday evening, though the woman was also injured in the attack.
Community Grieves Rabbi Schlanger and Others
The attack has deeply shaken the Australian Jewish community, which is now grappling with profound loss. Rabbi Lieder’s nephew, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was among those killed on Sunday.At his funeral on Wednesday, Rabbi Aron Moss eulogized Schlanger as a man “ripped away from us, doing what he loved best.”
“Spreading love and joy and caring for his people with endless self-sacrifice in his life and in his death, he towered above as one of the highest and holiest souls,” Rabbi Moss said. “This loss is massive for the entire Jewish nation but, for our community here, and for Chabad of Bondi, the loss is unspeakable.”
Rabbi Lieder recounted that he was en route to Bondi Beach for the Hanukah celebration when his grandson alerted him to the shootings. He expressed disbelief that a place so synonymous with Australian life could become the site of such a horrific act of terrorism.
A Contrast of Ideologies
The community’s response to the atrocity
