Three heroes of the Bondi Beach terror attack who ran towards danger to help strangers under fire will be honoured by Waverley Council, after councillors tonight unanimously passed a Mayoral Minute outlining measures to acknowledge the courage of all those who put their lives on the line on 14 December.
“Ahmed al-Ahmed, Gefen Bitton and Leibel Lazaroff will each be presented with a ‘Key to the City’ and a lifetime Waverley Beach Pass in symbolic recognition of their significant bravery,” said Mayor, Will Nemesh.
“These gestures symbolise the enduring impact of their selflessness on our entire community and are a token of our never-ending gratitude.”
Mr al-Ahmed, 43, wrestled a gun from one of the alleged shooters as attendees at the Chanukah by the Sea event were being targeted, slowing down the attack and undoubtedly saving countless lives.
Mr Bitton, 30, ran to Mr al-Ahmed’s aide and then also confronted the alleged gunman in a bid to end his reign of terror.
Rabbi Lazaroff, 20, who was assisting the late Rabbi Eli Schlanger at the Chanukah event, rushed to help critically wounded NSW Police Constable Scott Dyson after he was gunned down, using his own shirt to stem the bleeding.
All three heroes were shot and seriously injured in the course of their valiant efforts to help others.
“Bondi, the entire Waverley community, and indeed all Australians owe a huge debt of gratitude to Ahmed, Gefen and Leibel,” Mayor Nemesh said.
The successful Mayoral Minute also authorised the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Keri Spooner and Waverley Council General Manager Emily Scott to collaborate on a list of suggested recipients for the Prime Minister’s Special Honours List on behalf of Council.
Those nominations will include recommended posthumous acknowledgements for Boris and Sofia Gurman and Reuven Morrison.
Mr Gurman, 69, and Mrs Gurman, 61, were the first two bystanders to encounter the alleged shooters as they exited a vehicle armed with weapons.
“Boris and Sofia saw the alleged shooters and rushed to confront them in a heroic bid to save people and tragically, they lost their lives in the process,” the Mayor said.
“They were beloved members of our Waverley community and in their final moments, they put the wellbeing of others above their own safety. We will be forever thankful.”
Mr Morrison, 61, lost his life while trying to stop one of the alleged gunmen by throwing a brick at him, in a powerful moment of grit immortalised in a video captured by a witness.
“Another witness on the ground recounted how his incredible bravery slowed down the attack and allowed a mother and her baby to escape to safety,” he said.
