The terror attack targeting the Chabad Chanukah gathering in Bondi, Sydney, claimed the life of Alex Kleytman Hy”d, a Holocaust survivor and husband, father, and grandfather, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Kleytman, a retired civil engineer, had gone to Bondi Beach to attend the long-running Chanukah at the Sea event when gunfire erupted, fatally wounding him.
His wife, Larisa, with whom he shared five decades of marriage, described the horrifying moments leading up to his death, saying she believes he was killed while trying to protect her. “I think he was shot because he raised himself up to protect me,” she told reporters.
Recalling the scene, Larisa said the couple had come as they did every year. “He came to Bondi Beach to celebrate Chanukah, for us it was always a very, very good celebration, for many, many years. Today, in the middle of the celebrations, there were shots, and unfortunately, my husband was killed.”
She described the sudden chaos as gunfire rang out. “We were standing and suddenly came the ‘boom boom’, and everybody fell down,” she said. “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.”
Alex and Larisa Kleytman emigrated to Australia from Ukraine, where they went on to build a family that included two children and 11 grandchildren.
{Matzav.com}
