American Yeshiva Student Critically Injured in Bondi Beach Hanukkah Terror Attack; Father Says Son Was ‘Spreading Light’

SYDNEY — As his son underwent multiple surgeries for life-threatening injuries, Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff shared on Monday, an emotional message Monday while traveling from Texas to Australia, saying his son had been “spreading light” when he was targeted in the Bondi Beach terror attack.

In a social media post, Lazaroff said he was in constant contact with hospital staff as his son, Leibel Lazaroff, fought for his life. He described Leibel as a young man who devoted his year to volunteering, strengthening Jewish life, and bringing joy to others.

Sitting on a very long plane ride to Australia from Texas, while still grappling with the lives lost & communicating with the hospital as my son Leibel goes into multiple surgeries for his life threatening injuries. Leibel was spreading light, helping a community thrive,… pic.twitter.com/P0JMwt8nLz

— Yossi Lazaroff 👍 (@AggieRabbi) December 15, 2025

Lazaroff characterized the attack as one driven by antisemitic hatred and framed the moment as a moral crossroads, contrasting good and evil, light and darkness, and the choice between standing up to violence or remaining passive in the face of it.

Leibel Lazaroff, 20, an American citizen who recently studied at a yeshiva in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, was shot in the abdomen and leg during the attack. Family members said he suffered significant blood loss and still has shrapnel lodged in his abdomen and upper thigh. He remains in critical but stable condition and is expected to undergo additional surgery.

Lazaroff grew up in Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University, where his father serves as a Chabad rabbi. He moved to Sydney approximately two months ago, around the Jewish High Holidays, to spend a year volunteering and assisting the local Jewish community.

On the night of the attack, Lazaroff was attending the annual “Hanukkah by the Sea” celebration at Bondi Beach, where he had been helping organize and support the event when gunmen opened fire.

The attack left at least 15 people dead and more than 40 injured, including children. Authorities are treating the incident as an act of terrorism, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Despite the trauma, Lazaroff’s family urged the Jewish community to respond with resilience rather than fear. In a message shared with supporters, his mother thanked people for their prayers and encouraged increased acts of light, joy, and celebration during Hanukkah in merit of healing for all those injured.

The Bondi Beach shooting is among the deadliest mass attacks in Australia in decades.