After arriving in New York following a nonstop 22-hour journey from Sydney, Ahmed al-Ahmed and Rabbi Yehoram Ulman began their time in the United States Tuesday at the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, in Queens.
The visit marked the start of a joint tour that will take the two men through New York and Washington, D.C., where they are scheduled to meet with a range of public figures and dignitaries. For Rabbi Ulman, the trip is deeply personal: a chance to publicly and privately express gratitude to a man who risked his own life to save members of his community.
Al-Ahmed became known worldwide following the Dec. 14, 2025, terror attack at Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi’s Chanukah celebration in Sydney. During that attack, two terrorists opened fire on the crowd, murdering 15 people. Al-Ahmed, a local shopkeeper, charged one of the gunmen, wrestled away his weapon, and was shot twice in the process. Rabbi Ulman serves as the rabbi and spiritual leader of Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi, where most of the victims were congregants or colleagues, including his son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
For Rabbi Ulman, traveling together to the United States symbolizes the Jewish community’s appreciation to a Syrian-born Muslim who acted without hesitation to save others. “Ahmed did what he did that day because he believed that G d placed him at the scene for a reason, and that’s what gave him the strength to save lives,” Ulman told Chabad.org. “This is something people from all walks of life can and must learn from.”
Al-Ahmed recalled how the events of that night unfolded almost by chance. On the early evening of Sunday, Dec. 14, he was walking along Bondi Beach looking for a cup of coffee. Finding none, he noticed a large gathering across the street at Archer’s Park. “I thought there might be coffee there, so I approached the security guard, who told me it was the Chanukah by the Sea celebration,” al-Ahmed told Chabad.org. “I saw the Menorah standing tall. I knew these were our Jewish brothers, and I felt happy to see it.”
Moments later, the celebration turned into a scene of terror. Gunfire erupted as two attackers positioned above the crowd began shooting. “If G d had willed to take my life, it would have ended there,” al-Ahmed said, describing how bullets flew past him. He dropped to the ground and crawled behind parked cars for cover, where he realized he was in a position to act as one of the terrorists advanced, continuing to fire at men, women, and children.
Al-Ahmed said he could not remain hidden. “To hear children screaming and women crying, I couldn’t stand it,” he said. “I had a duty; there was nothing to think about. Here was a man taking innocent lives. Nobody can take a human life—that’s in G d’s hands alone.”
Another bystander, 30-year-old Israeli Gefen Bitton, joined him and relayed information about the gunman’s movements. Despite still recovering from painful surgery on his left arm, al-Ahmed edged closer, moving from car to car before making his move. “It was as if I saw myself from above, going around the car toward him, and, I swear: I felt G d helping me,” he recalled.
He lunged at the terrorist, tackled him, and managed to wrench the gun away, halting the attack for crucial moments. Almost immediately, the second terrorist opened fire, striking al-Ahmed in the shoulder and arm. Bitton, who followed him in, was also shot and badly wounded.
At 6:46 p.m., six minutes and ten seconds after the first shots were fired, police finally neutralized the attackers. By then, Rabbi Ulman’s community had been devastated.
The victims included Rabbi Ulman’s son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, with whom he had worked side by side on community initiatives for more than 18 years; Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, a quiet but central force in the community; Reuven Morrison, a close friend and pillar of Chabad of Bondi; Alex Kleytman, another longtime friend; and eleven others. Those lost included cherished community members, a Holocaust survivor, and a 10-year-old girl, Matilda.
That night, Rabbi Ulman rushed to the hospital to be with his daughter, Chayale Schlanger, whose back had been grazed by a bullet, and her two-month-old son Shimshy, injured by shrapnel. He was the one who had to call Eli’s parents and deliver the devastating news.
Despite his own grief, Rabbi Ulman felt a responsibility to his shattered community. “I didn’t have the luxury to wait a week before speaking to my community,” he said, “We all desperately needed to hear some perspective.” Over the course of that week, he officiated at ten funerals, each eulogy heavier than the last.
Three weeks later, still immersed in mourning, Rabbi Ulman reflected on the balance between grief and gratitude. “You have to allow yourself to be broken at a time like this,” he said. “At the same time, amidst the brokenness, we have to be grateful.”
He credits al-Ahmed’s bravery, along with others such as Morrison who also tried to stop the attack, with saving countless lives. Thinking of his daughter, his five grandchildren, and the many others who survived, Rabbi Ulman said, “In the greatest tragedies, there are always miracles. It could have been much, much worse.”
Standing beside al-Ahmed at the Ohel, Rabbi Ulman said he was grateful for the opportunity to personally express thanks on behalf of the Jewish people. “He’s a hero,” Ulman said. “It may be tempting to think, ‘someone else is being attacked, that’s not my business.’ But Ahmed didn’t think that way. His actions announce that this is not a Jewish issue; it is a human issue. We don’t only take care of our own. We look after each other. We are all G d’s children, and He gave each of us the ability to choose good over evil.”
Ulman added that al-Ahmed’s actions exemplify true kindness. “In the Torah, among the non-kosher birds, there is listed one bird called a ‘chasidah’—which means ‘kindness.’ Why is it called that? ‘Because,’ the Talmud says, ‘it shows kindness to its friends.’ But if it’s kind, why isn’t it kosher? It’s not kosher because it is kind exclusively to its own friends. That’s not true kindness. True kindness extends beyond our circle—if innocent people are being hurt, and G d puts us in a position to help, we must act. Ahmed did exactly that. He shows us what true kindness looks like.”
Al-Ahmed, for his part, has downplayed the attention he has received since the attack. “I just did my duty as a human being,” he told Chabad.org. “Afterward, in the hospital, my phone started ringing and ringing. I was told the whole world knows me. For what? I did my duty as a human being.”’
{Matzav.com}
