Man Who Survived ‘Unspeakable Terror of Holocaust’ Killed in Bondi Beach Shooting

The oldest victim of the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia was a Holocaust survivor.

The carnage, now known to be Australia’s worst mass shooting in three decades, left 15 people dead and several others injured.

The victims ranged in age from 10 and 87, according to local officials cited by NBC News.

The oldest of the victims has been identified as 87-year-old Alex Kleytman, whose family says he was a Holocaust survivor.

His wife Larisa Kleytman told The Australian that he died protecting her.

“We were standing and suddenly came the ‘boom boom’, and everybody fell down,” she told the outlet. “At this moment he was behind me and at one moment he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me.”

“His body is still there and I am sitting there and don’t know what I have to do,” she added.

Both Alex and Larisa survived “the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust” before eventually moving to Australia from Ukraine, according to the 2023 annual report by JewishCare, an Australian service provider for the Jewish community.

“Their resilience, strength, and adaptability serve as a testament to the enduring nature of the human spirit,” read part of the report documenting their separate journeys.

“Alex’s memories are particularly harrowing; recalling the dreadful conditions in Siberia where he, along with his mother and younger brother, struggled for survival,” the report said.

Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, allegedly carried out the shooting which Australian Prime Minister has said was an “an act of pure evil, an act of terror and an act of antisemitism,” per CNN.

Sajid died at the scene and Naveed was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda Poltavchenko, is being remembered by her teacher as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her.” A GoFundMe has been set up to assist her family.

The attack left Australia’s Jewish community bereft and traumatized.

“It’s not random,” Jillian Segal, Australia’s special envoy on antisemitism, said following the attack, per The New York Times. “It is an attack on the Jews of Australia. It’s an attack on Australia as well.”