A Holocaust survivor who endured immense hardship has passed away due to complications from injuries sustained in a terrorist attack. Eva Geller fled Romania as a child to escape the Nazis, eventually settling near Sydney with her family. She married a fellow survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Geller was among those wounded during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, where ISIS-inspired attackers opened fire on attendees. The incident resulted in significant loss of life and was one of Australia's deadliest mass shootings. The perpetrators, including Sajid Akram, were confronted by police, and Akram was killed.
Eva Geller's death has been met with an outpouring of grief, including from Australian-Israeli human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky, who also survived the attack. According to Ostrovsky, Geller's passing has raised the death toll from the incident.
Despite initial predictions that she would never walk again, Geller made significant progress in her recovery, celebrating her 90th birthday and walking with a cane. Rabbi Aron Moss, of Nefesh Synagogue, which Geller attended, noted that she remained largely bedridden and frequently hospitalized following the attack.
Her story serves as a testament to the enduring impact of traumatic events and the resilience of those who survive them.