An Evening of Courage, Sacrifice, and Jewish pride At Chabad of Forest Hills North

On Father’s Day, June 21, 2026, members of the Queens Jewish community gathered at Chabad of Forest Hills North to hear an extraordinary story of courage, sacrifice, and Jewish pride. The guest speaker, Sheina Gutnick, shared the life and legacy of her father, Reuven Morrison, whose heroic actions during the Bondi Beach terror attack in Australia on December 14, 2025, saved lives and inspired a nation.

But Reuven Morrison’s story began long before that tragic day.

Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 1963, Morrison grew up under Communist Soviet rule, where any public display of Judaism could lead to imprisonment. Anti-Semitism was a daily reality. Teachers and classmates regularly made anti-Jewish remarks, and Reuven and his brother often found themselves defending their dignity in schoolyard fights.

In 1977, seeking freedom and opportunity, Morrison immigrated to Australia. There he embraced both his Jewish identity and the Australian ideal of “mateship”—the belief that when someone needs help, you step forward.

At age 17, while walking along Bondi Beach, he met the young woman who would become his wife. She was 16 years old. They married two years later and built a beautiful life together. Their only child, Sheina, would later become one of the leading voices against antisemitism in Australia.

Throughout his life, Morrison worked hard to support his family. He operated a locksmith business, repaired fax and printing machines, and owned a gas station. Yet his greatest passion was his Jewish community.

Together with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Morrison played an instrumental role in helping establish and build the Chabad of Bondi. He and a partner purchased the property upon which the Chabad center was built, helping create a thriving center of Jewish life for generations to come.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, Assistant Rabbi of Chabad Bondi and son in-law to the senior Rabbi Ulman, became one of Morrison’s close partners in strengthening Jewish life in the area. Tragically, both men would lose their lives in the same terror attack years later.

As antisemitism intensified across Australia following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, many Australian Jews felt increasingly vulnerable. Sheina recalled that just two days after the attacks, mobs filled the streets shouting hateful slogans including “Gas the Jews” and “Where are the Jews?” Ironically, she noted, one of the only people arrested that day was a man carrying an Israeli flag.

She herself experienced repeated antisemitic harassment. On one occasion, a stranger pointed at her Star of David necklace and called her a terrorist. Another time, someone driving by yelled “Free Palestine” and “F— the Jews.”

Despite the hostility, Morrison remained committed to living openly and proudly as a Jew.

That commitment would define his final moments.

On December 14, 2025, the first night of Chanukah, thousands gathered at Bondi Beach for a community celebration. Among the organizers was Rabbi Eli Schlanger.

At 6:47 p.m., father-and-son terrorists launched a brutal attack on the crowd.

When news of the shooting broke, Sheina’s husband received a phone call from his sister. One minute later, at 6:48 p.m., Sheina called her father. Instead, her mother answered.

“I hear screaming. I hear gunshots,” she recalled hearing over the phone.

The terrorists were reportedly using exploding bullets. Chaos erupted as families scrambled for safety.

Three police officers assigned to the event initially took cover. Reuven Morrison could have done the same. He did not.

Seeing a terrorist aiming his weapon at a mother and her two children lying helplessly on the ground, Morrison stepped between them, drawing the gunman’s attention away from the family.

Another hero, Ahmed Al Ahmed, tackled one of the terrorists and threw the attacker’s gun behind a tree. Morrison picked up the weapon and fired toward the terrorists standing on a bridge.

After being shot in the wrist, he dropped the gun. Despite already suffering gunshot wounds to his arm and legs, he continued fighting. Morrison picked up a brick and hurled it at the terrorists.

As he attempted to run, he was struck again.

By the end of the attack, Morrison had suffered eleven gunshot wounds.

He was killed while trying to save others.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger was also murdered in the attack.

Fifteen people lost their lives that evening and more than forty were injured. Lifeguards attending a nearby Xmas gathering became the first responders, using surfboards as makeshift stretchers and performing CPR before emergency services arrived. Police ultimately ended the attack eleven minutes after it began, killing one of the terrorists.

Yet one of the most moving chapters of the story came after her father’s death.

Sheina shared that Rabbi Mendy Hecht’s father, Rabbi Shea Hecht of Melbourne Australia a close friend of her father, together with philanthropist Michael Gordon also a dear friend, worked tirelessly to ensure that Reuven Morrison’s body would be returned to Melbourne where he was living at the time while commuting between Melbourne and Sydney, with the dignity required for a proper Jewish burial.

Using Michael Gordon’s private jet, an extraordinary effort was undertaken in a remarkably short period of time. The aircraft was specially modified at the hangar, with seats removed and arrangements made that would ordinarily be extremely difficult to accomplish on such short notice. Through what many involved described as a series of remarkable and providential events, everything came together in time.

There was one final request.

Reuven Morrison loved Bondi Beach his dear community he was instrumental in building.

Michael Gordon hoped that before returning to Melbourne, the plane carrying his body could fly over Bondi Beach one last time.

Air traffic control initially insisted it would not be possible due to weather conditions and operational restrictions. Nevertheless, in what many viewed as a remarkable occurrence, special authorization was ultimately granted. Air traffic was temporarily halted, and the aircraft carrying Morrison made a final flyover with 3 rounds above the beautiful shul and Bondi beach he loved so much.

For those watching, it felt as though Bondi itself was saying goodbye.

In the aftermath, Sheina transformed her grief into action.

Demanding accountability, she called upon the Australian government to establish a Royal Commission to investigate the failures that led to the tragedy. Initially, the Prime Minister refused. Undeterred, Sheina organized the families of the victims and drafted a letter signed by all of them. After personally meeting with the Prime Minister, she succeeded in securing the Royal Commission inquiry.

Today, she serves as a Public Affairs Advocate for Australia with the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

Despite her profound loss, Sheina emphasized that the response to hatred must be goodness.

“We don’t want to just suffer and despair. We want to pick ourselves up with acts of goodness and kindness,” she said.

The New South Wales government subsequently launched the One Mitzvah Bondi Campaign, encouraging people to perform mitzvot in memory of the victims.

“Mitzvah ultimately means connection,” Sheina explained. “Not only to Hashem, but also to the person we are helping. That’s ultimately the purpose for all on earth, Jewish and non-Jewish life. We are here to make the world a better place.”

She reminded the audience that Jewish history has always included challenges, but also resilience.

“We have a Torah and a moral code. It’s relevant. That’s what’s going to keep us going.”

“Anti-Semitism is a global issue. There’s no place safe. We have to celebrate Judaism. Live it openly and proudly.”

Rabbi Mendy Hecht of Chabad of Forest Hills North noted that the program took place near the 32nd yahrzeit of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Rebbe, whose teachings focused on finding light within darkness and transforming pain into positive action.

Rebbetzin Chaya Hecht reflected, “The Rebbe taught us that education is the greatest tool for changing the world. Sheina embodies this ideal by courageously sharing her story and inspiring others through it.”

The story of Reuven Morrison is ultimately not only the story of a hero’s death, but of a life lived with courage, Jewish pride, selflessness, and faith. From Soviet Ukraine to the shores of Bondi Beach, he stood up when others would not. In his final moments, he embodied the values he cherished throughout his life: protecting others, standing proudly as a Jew, and making the world a better place.

The program was presented by Chabad of Forest Hills North in partnership with the Queens Jewish Community Council.

The Story of the Private Jet that took Mr. Morrison, Sheina’s Father to his final resting H”YD: