"You Are Jewish"
The Final Mitzvah: How a Bondi Victim Discovered His Jewish Roots Minutes Before Death
In a series of events described as nothing short of divine intervention, a former police detective learned of his Jewish heritage and performed his first mitzvah just moments before a terror attack claimed his life.
A profoundly moving story of faith and identity has emerged from the tragic terror attack in Bondi, revealing that one of the victims, Peter Meagher, discovered his true Jewish identity only minutes before he was murdered. Meagher, a well known community photographer and a former New South Wales police detective, had spent his life believing he was not Jewish. However, a chance encounter during a public Chanukah gathering transformed his final moments on earth into a powerful spiritual homecoming.
During the holiday celebration, Shalom Druin, a Chabad student, was joined by Rabbi Eli Schlanger and other students to offer passersby the opportunity to put on tefillin. When the group approached Meagher and asked if he was Jewish, he initially hesitated, explaining that only his grandmother was. Upon further clarification, it was revealed that the grandmother in question was his mother’s mother. Druin gently explained to him that according to Jewish law, this made him fully Jewish. Touched by the discovery, Meagher agreed to perform the mitzvah and put on tefillin for the first time in his life.
Approximately ten minutes after this spiritual milestone, the terror attack began. Peter Meagher was murdered during the violence, and his final act in this world was the fulfillment of a sacred commandment. The story of his passing reached a deeper level of significance through the testimony of Bondi resident Chavi Israel. She shared that her friend, Chana Michla Deitz, was lying on the ground near Meagher during the height of the attack, shielding her own daughter. Despite not knowing Meagher or his newly discovered heritage, Deitz felt an overwhelming and unexplainable urge to recite the Shema Yisrael prayer out loud on his behalf.
In the midst of the chaos and terror, Deitz davened with all her strength, pleading that she and her daughter would survive the ordeal. While Meagher lost his life, his soul departed the world immediately following the performance of a mitzvah and the sounds of the holiest Jewish prayer. Those who witnessed the encounter believe that the timing of his discovery was a divine gift, allowing him to return to his roots just before his life was taken by terrorists.