The son of the campus rabbi at Texas A&M University was critically wounded during the mass shooting Sunday at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff confirmed that his son, Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, was shot in the leg and abdomen during the attack.
He told local Texas outlet KXAN that his son underwent emergency surgery and remained in intensive care.
According to Yossi Lazaroff, his son was in Sydney as part of a rabbinical internship and was assisting with the management of the Hanukkah event hosted by Chabad of Bondi when the shooting occurred.
"We ask the community to join us in prayers and good deeds for our dear son," Yossi Lazaroff said in a statement. "We mourn with the families whose loved ones were taken from them."
The Associated Press reported that at least 15 people, including a child, were killed in the attack. Among the victims was Rabbi Eli Schlanger, a colleague of Leibel Lazaroff.
At least 42 others were hospitalized, several of them in critical condition.
Texas state Sen. Charles Schwertner, a Republican, acknowledged the incident in a post on X, calling for prayers for the Lazaroff family and the victims.
"Please join me in praying for Rabbi Yossi and Manya Lazaroff's son, Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, who was shot, and all those who were killed and injured in the terrorist attack on the Jewish community," Schwertner wrote.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes, and Councilmember Marc Duchen also issued a joint statement condemning the attack.
"Our deepest condolences go out to the families impacted by this terrible tragedy," the statement said. "We unequivocally denounce antisemitism and religiously motivated violence in all its forms."
Yossi Lazaroff and his wife are the founders and directors of the Chabad Jewish Center at Texas A&M University, according to the organization's website.
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