Shot While Saving Lives: How a Radio Saved a Hatzolah Volunteer's Life During the Hanukkah Massacre
In a breathtaking story of survival from the Bondi Beach massacre, a Hatzolah medic lived to tell the tale after his chest-mounted radio absorbed a direct shot from a terrorist’s rifle.
A Shield in the Line of Fire
When two terrorists, a father and son duo linked to the Islamic State, opened fire on a crowd of 1,000 people celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach, Hatzolah volunteers were among the first to sprint toward the danger. Yanky Sofer was one of those first responders. As he worked to reach the wounded, a bullet intended for his heart struck the radio mounted on his rescue vest.
The heavy communication device absorbed the lethal energy of the round, preventing the bullet from penetrating his chest. While the impact shattered the radio into hundreds of fragments that embedded themselves in his body, the device successfully stopped the projectile from dealing a fatal blow.
"Sofer was difficult to find because his radio had been shot," Rabbi Mendy Litzman, the head of Hatzolah Sydney, explained. "The doctors said there were hundreds of fragments of it in his body, but he still kept helping people until he needed to go to the hospital himself."
Heroism Under Fire
Despite suffering shrapnel injuries to his chest and back, Sofer refused to stop his life saving work. Witnesses reported that he continued to treat victims of the bloodbath, which claimed the lives of 15 people, until his own physical condition made it impossible to continue.
Medical professionals at the hospital were reportedly amazed by the narrow margin of his survival. Doctors stated clearly that without the radio positioned exactly where it was, Sofer would not have survived the attack. The fragments of the shattered device were found throughout his upper body, yet his vital organs remained protected by the very tool he used to coordinate help for others.
A Symbol of Resilience
The Bondi Beach massacre, described by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as an act of "pure evil" and "evil antisemitism," has left 15 families in mourning and dozens more recovering from injuries. Among the dead were a ten year old girl, a Holocaust survivor, and a beloved local rabbi.
In a war of hatred aimed at the Jewish community, Sofer’s survival has been hailed as a "Hanukkah miracle" by many. His story, alongside that of Ahmed al-Ahmed, the fruit shop owner who tackled one of the gunmen, has become a rare light in one of Australia’s darkest hours. As the investigation into the terrorists' motivations and their recent travel to the Philippines continues, Sofer remains in the hospital, recovering from the surgery required to remove the radio fragments that saved his life.