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He survived Holocaust and Soviet terror. At 87, Ukrainian immigrant was killed protecting his wife from antisemitic attack in Sydney
In Australia, during a shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, 87-year-old Ukrainian immigrant Alex Kleytman, born in Ukraine's Odesa, survived the Holocaust and had lived in the country for nearly 60 years. He was killed while trying to protect his wife, NBC News reports.
The advocacy group, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said more than 3,700 anti-Jewish incidents occurred in Australia during the two years following the Hamas attack in 2023, per NPR. Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. Among the victims were around 40 foreigners from over 30 countries.
On 14 December, during a festival celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Sydney, a shooting occurred. At least 15 people were killed, including one of the attackers, and dozens were injured. Australian police classified the attack as a terrorist act and an antisemitic incident, per Reuters.
From Siberia to Australia, and again hatred
Alex Kleytman survived the Holocaust alongside his mother and younger brother, enduring Siberia. This region of Russia served as a primary site for political repressions under the Soviet Union, housing vast networks of exile settlements, labor camps, and Gulags. After World War II, he emigrated from Ukraine to Australia.
His death was confirmed by his wife, Larisa Kleytman, also a Holocaust survivor. The couple had been together for nearly 60 years.
Moments before the tragedy, she heard several loud sounds like “booms” and immediately saw her husband fall to the ground.
After the attack, Larisa Kleytman admitted she was “shocked” and “confused” and is trying to understand what happened.
