SYDNEY — Arsen Ostrovsky, a Jewish community advocate wounded in the deadly attack at a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach, said he began praying instinctively after realizing his injuries could be fatal, as he struggled to learn whether his family had survived.
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Ostrovsky said he had stepped away briefly from the celebration when the attack erupted. He was struck and quickly understood the seriousness of the wound not from pain, but from the speed and volume of blood loss.
“It wasn’t just bleeding — it was pouring,” he said, recalling how a stranger nearby tore off a shirt so he could press it against his head to slow the bleeding. He said adrenaline initially masked the danger, but the scale of the injury became clear later.
He said the most terrifying moments came when he could not reach his wife and two young daughters, who were still at the gathering. Unsure whether they were alive, Ostrovsky sent his wife a short message saying he loved her, uncertain if it would be his last.
A week after surviving the Bondi Massacre, I returned to the site of this great evil. I was doing interview for @thetimes. The photographer, the incredible Audrey Richardson, took these photos – which she did with incredible care, compassion and humility. THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/8ZlCsjIjFb
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) December 23, 2025
After learning his family was safe, Ostrovsky said he found himself reciting the Shema, a central Jewish prayer, despite not considering himself religious. He described the moment as instinctive rather than deliberate.
The attack struck close to home for Ostrovsky, who grew up in Bondi and had recently returned to Australia after more than a decade living in Israel. He had taken on a senior leadership role with the Australian Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, which focuses on strengthening Australia-Israel relations and combating antisemitism.
Ostrovsky praised the response of bystanders and first responders, describing people who ran toward danger to help the wounded. He also recalled a senior state politician who sat with him and offered comfort without seeking attention.
As images of the attack circulated online, Ostrovsky said he was stunned to see claims that his injuries were fabricated. He said he saw some of the accusations shortly before being taken into surgery.
“Words have consequences,” he said, warning that online incitement and disinformation can fuel real-world violence.
Ostrovsky criticized what he described as repeated failures by political leaders to confront antisemitism decisively, calling for enforcement and accountability rather than statements of concern.
“The doctor said it was a miracle. It was millimetres between life and death.”
– Incoming Head of AIJAC’s Sydney Office, Arsen Ostrovsky speaks with ABC News (US) on his miraculous survival during the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Video: ABC News (US). pic.twitter.com/O0kjddimUq
— AIJAC (@AIJAC_Update) December 20, 2025
Despite the trauma, he said the attack has not shaken his resolve to live openly as a Jew.
“No terrorist gets to decide how or where I live my life,” Ostrovsky said.