Rabbi killed in Australia mass shooting was nephew of rabbi injured in Poway

Sunday’s mass shooting at a Hanukkah event in Australia has already touched San Diego.

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the founding rabbi of Chabad Poway, said that his nephew, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was leading the festive holiday event before he and more than a dozen others were killed.

Goldstein himself was shot and seriously wounded in an antisemitic attack at the Poway Chabad synagogue in 2019 that killed a woman who was standing in front of him.

He told City News Service that he had been up all night after getting a phone call from a relative in Sydney about Schlanger, his youngest sister’s son-in law.

“Every time there is a mass shooting, it just brings it back up to the front,” Goldstein said of the 2019 attack. “That trauma never leaves you.”

Goldstein urged the entire Poway community not be deterred and to attend the synagogue’s Hanukkah event Sunday at Old Poway Park to show solidarity. He said there will be a strong security presence, as well as at another event he is hosting at North County Mall on Monday evening.

“Nothing that anyone does will never dim our lights. A little bit of light will push away the darkness with random acts of goodness and kindness,” Goldstein said. “We will recover from this stronger and brighter and greater.”

Schlanger, 41 and a father of five, was the head of the Chabad mission in Bondi, and had served the Jewish community there for over 18 years.

Goldstein lost his right index finger in the April 27, 2019 attack, which occurred on the last day of Passover and killed Lori Gilbert-Kaye.

John Earnest of Rancho Penasquitos carried out the shooting. He was later sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors said he authored racist and antisemitic writings and committed the attack out of hatred.

After the Poway shooting, Goldstein was honored by President Trump, and addressed the United Nations. But later it was revealed that during that period the rabbi was under federal investigation, and ultimately served time in prison for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service in connection with donations to the synagogue.

Chabad has often held a public candle lighting on Bondi Beach for Hanukkah that drew hundreds of people in past years. During Hanukkah, Chabad leaders traditionally place menorahs on car rooftops and host giant menorahs in public settings.

Chabad, originally based in Brooklyn, New York, focuses on expanding Jewish observance through dispatching emissaries throughout the world, often in places with little or no Jewish presence. Chabad spokesperson Motti Seligson said there are Chabad synagogues and outreach programs in more than 100 countries and Chabad has been in Australia for decades.

Husband-and-wife emissaries, known as shluchim, work around the world, especially in areas with a sparse Jewish presence. They are easily recognizable by the traditional dress, including black suits and hats for men and modest dress with head coverings or wigs for women.

There have been several attacks against Chabad rabbis and synagogues around the world. In 2008, nine people were killed in an attack against a Chabad house in Mumbai, India, and one person was killed and three injured in a 2019 shooting at a Chabad synagogue outside of San Diego.

The movement’s global headquarters are in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the former office and synagogue of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known simply as “the Rebbe,” who led the movement from 1951 until his death in 1994. Schneerson is still a revered religious figure in the movement, and his grave in Queens receives about 400,000 visitors per year, according to Chabad. President Donald Trump visited Schneerson’s grave during his second campaign in 2024.

Law enforcement officials in San Diego County said they were planning heightened security this week at Hanukkah events and places of worship.

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said the city “stands in unequivocal condemnation of the abhorrent terrorist attack in Australia. We mourn the lives lost and stand in solidarity with those affected.

“As our Jewish community prepares to celebrate Hanukkah — a time that symbolized light, resilience, and hope — we are taking proactive steps here at home. Under the leadership of Police Chief Scott Wahl, the San Diego Police Department is increasing officer visibility and enhancing security at Jewish institutions, synagogues, and Hanukkah celebrations.

“San Diego is a city that values diversity and rejects hate. We will protect the right of every San Diegan to celebrate their faith and traditions free from fear. We choose peace, we stand together, and we will not allow violence or antisemitism to divide us.”

The San Diego Police Department posted a statement to social media. “We are deeply saddened by the news of the horrific attack in Sydney,” it said. “Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those involved and to the greater Sydney community. We understand the real fear that acts of violence like this spread among our communities. It is a reminder for all of us to remain vigilant.

“While there are no known threats, the San Diego Police Department is working closely with our law enforcement partners, and out of an abundance of caution will be increasing patrols near houses of worship and community events,” the statement continued. “If you see any suspicious activity, please report it immediately.”

SDPD Officer Sarah Foster told City News Service that Western Division officers have been assigned to patrol the Liberty Station area throughout the week and other divisions will do the same.

“They always take the precaution that those places are watched,” Foster said.

Lt. Nick Backouris of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office told CNS that a memo went out to deputies after Sunday’s shooting to make sure they are checking in and providing extra patrols to places of worship and religious events.

“As we do with every holiday seasons, we are beefing up patrols at places of worship and establishing connections with local leaders of those facilities,” Backouris said.

“At this time, there are no known threats to the San Diego County region. We will continue to monitor the situation with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners,” the sheriff’s office said Sunday on X.

“Out of an abundance of caution … deputies will be conducting extra patrols at synagogues located in Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction. … If you see something, say something. Report any suspicious activity by calling 9-1-1 or your local law enforcement agency.”

Nechama Eilfort, rebbetzin and co-director at Chabad La Costa,  said in light of what happened in Australia, the facility has additional security planned including local sheriff’s deputies and police officers, as well as uniformed armed guards and undercover security.

“Unfortunately a colleague was murdered and we are shocked but not surprised. This is somewhat the reality. People need to reach out to the Jewish community and be allies,” Eilfort said. “I believe that public displays of visible Judaism is what will help stop anti-Semitism. More Judaism, not less.”

Eifort said her cousin was at the menorah lighting at Bondi beach and escaped unharmed.

“They ducked and ran and left all her belongings,” she said.

As many as 16 people were reported killed in the attack, which took place at Sydney’s Bondi Beach as hundreds of Jews gathered to mark the first day of Hanukkah. Local authorities there described it as a targeted antisemitic attack.

Authorities also said there were two known suspects in the attack. One was killed and the other was said to be hospitalized in critical condition.

President Donald Trump was one of many U.S. officials to condemn the attack Sunday, while encouraging Jews to “celebrate proudly — be proud of who you are,” according to Fox News.

Trump also praised a Muslim bystander who reportedly charged one of the gunmen and took his gun away before being shot himself, apparently by another gunman. The man, identified as 43-year-old Ahmed Al Ahmed, can be see in dramatic news video rushing one of the shooters and wrestling the gun away, then pointing it at the man he disarmed.

“Very, very brave person, who went and frontally attacked one of the shooters and saved a lot of lives,” Trump said. “Very brave person, right now in the hospital, wounded. Great respect to the man that did that.”

City News Service contributed to this article.