College Station Rabbi Returns Home After Surviving Terrorist Attack

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Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff is back in College Station, Texas after spending nearly eight weeks in an Australian hospital recovering from gunshot wounds he sustained during a terrorist attack. Lazaroff was shot twice, once in the abdomen and once in the leg, while helping an injured police officer at a Hanukkah event he was coordinating in Australia. The attack killed 15 people and left dozens injured. Lazaroff required 11 surgeries but is now back home with his family, who remained by his side throughout his recovery.

Why it matters

The attack on the Hanukkah event in Australia highlights the ongoing threat of antisemitic violence that Jewish communities around the world continue to face. Lazaroff's return home is a testament to the resilience of the College Station community, which rallied around the Lazaroff family during this difficult time.

The details

In December, Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff was shot twice, once in the abdomen and once in the leg, during an antisemitic terrorist attack at a beachside Hanukkah event he helped coordinate in Australia. He was helping an injured police officer when the attack occurred, which killed 15 people and left dozens injured. Lazaroff's injuries required 11 surgeries, but his family remained by his side throughout his recovery in the Australian hospital.

• In December, Lazaroff was shot during the terrorist attack in Australia.
• Lazaroff spent nearly eight weeks recovering in an Australian hospital.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Lazaroff family said they plan to spend the foreseeable future healing physically and emotionally at home, taking it one day at a time.