Son of Texas A&M Shliach, Wounded in Sydney Terror Attack, Hailed As Hero After Shielding Injured Police Officer
New details have emerged about the heroism of Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, a 20-year-old Chabad chossid and son of Texas A&M Shliach, who was seriously wounded in the antisemitic terrorist attack during a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, Australia.
Leibel Lazaroff, the son of Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff of Texas A&M University in College Station, had arrived in Australia just two months earlier to assist local Shluchim in their communal and educational work. While attending the Chanukah event on Sunday, the attack erupted, leaving at least 15 people dead and more than 40 hospitalized.
According to his family, before being shot, Leibel noticed a police officer who had been critically wounded. He attempted to shield the officer with his own body and used his shirt as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
“He saw an officer bleeding out, and he basically tied a tourniquet and saved that officer’s life, and then he was shot twice,” his brother, Rabbi Menachem Lazaroff, told media outlets.
Leibel sustained severe gunshot wounds to his abdomen and leg and has since undergone multiple life-saving surgeries. He remains hospitalized in Australia, where doctors anticipate at least one additional operation to close his abdomen, followed by a lengthy recovery process.
Medical staff have reportedly been impressed by his resilience. Physical therapists have already helped him sit up briefly, though he is still unable to eat or drink. His father, Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff, said doctors are encouraged by his progress given the extent of his injuries.
“He’s tough, and he’s going to pull through,” Menachem said. “It’s a lesson that every person has inner strength and inner light, and it’s about letting it shine.”
The Lazaroff family expressed profound gratitude that Leibel survived and thanked supporters from around the world for their tefillos and messages of encouragement.
