The massacre at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, has claimed a 16th victim following the death of Eva Geller less than 11 months after the attack, Australia’s ABC News reported.
Geller, 90, survived the Holocaust as a child before moving to Australia. She was shot during the massacre at Bondi Beach last December, in which two terrorists committed a mass shooting at a Hanukkah party. Geller required repeated hospital treatment in the months after she was shot. According to the Australian Jewish News, she was recently admitted with an infection linked to her injuries and suffered a stroke while receiving treatment.
The International March of the Living mourned Geller's passing, stating: “Our hearts are with Eva Geller’s family and with the Jewish community in Australia. Eva survived the Holocaust as a child and went on to build a life and raise a family in Australia. Eight decades after the Holocaust, she was shot at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach. As her family mourns her, Jewish families around the world are preparing to celebrate Hanukkah again. Some will still be asking whether it’s safe to take their children to a public celebration. That is part of what the attack at Bondi left behind. Nearly a year on, leaders must confront the normalisation of antisemitism, challenge incitement and act on threats. Jewish families should be able to celebrate openly and safely, in Sydney and everywhere. This Hanukkah, as we light candles in our homes and in public, we draw strength from one another. The Jewish people will continue to stand together, face hatred and live openly as Jews."
Rabbi Aron Moss of Sydney’s Nefesh Synagogue said Geller had escaped the Holocaust with her family as a child and later built a new life in Australia. He remembered the mother, grandmother and great-grandmother as a much-loved member of the community who remained positive throughout her ordeal.
Doctors had told her she would never walk again after the shooting, Moss said. She nevertheless regained her ability to walk and attended High Holiday services at his synagogue.
New South Wales Police confirmed that a 90-year-old woman injured in the attack had died overnight at a hospital in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Police said they were seeking further information and working with the coroner’s office.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese offered his condolences, saying Geller should have been able to celebrate Hanukkah safely, but her life had been changed by terrorism and antisemitism. Her funeral is scheduled for Monday, ABC reported.