Tibor Weitzen – a great-grandfather affectionately known as “the lollipop man” due to his habit of handing out sweets to children at shul – has been named as one of the 15 people killed as a result of the Bondi Beach terror attack that took place on the first night of Chanukah.
The 78-year-old had attended the “Chanukah on the Beach” event in Sydney with his wife and grandchildren, and was shot at while shielding loved ones, according to Chabad, which organised what had been billed as a family occasion.
Weitzen was a “beloved” member of the Bondi Chabad Synagogue, Chabad News reported, while his granddaughter, Leor Amzalak, said of him: "My grandfather was truly the best you could ask for.”
Speaking to Australian broadcaster ABC, Amzalak said: “He only saw the best in people and will be dearly missed.”
Another of his grandchildren, Mendy Amzalak, told The Australian: “I was one of the first responders, my family were there for the event, and my wife called me so I ran down to the beach with my defibrillator and the shooting was still going. I started treating people and then I came across his body”.
Amzalak said of his grandfather: “He was very involved in the family, we saw him as recently as yesterday, he was watching our daughter swim in the pool. I didn’t realise that would be the last time we would see him”.
Weitzen was a “man full of life, joy, smiles and laughter”, he added.
Ronnie Sternberg, a member of the Bondi Chabad community, described the great-grandfather as the “sweetest kindest guy”, and revealed his affectionate nickname, “the lollipop man”.
“All the kids would run to him at synagogue and he would give them lollipops, he was the lollipop man”, Sternberg said.
“He was just such a sweet grandpa, he loved his kids, loved life, he had a very good sense of humour, and he was a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather”.
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