BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — A College Station rabbi who was shot during a terrorist attack in Australia last month has been released from the hospital after six weeks of intensive treatment.
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Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff, 20, was wounded while volunteering at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach when he helped protect a police officer during the attack that left 15 people dead.
"It's definitely been a lot, but I'm proud of him. He's tough. He's a fighter," said Rabbi Menachem Lazaroff, the rabbi's brother.
After more than 10 surgeries and time in intensive care, Lazaroff is finally back on his feet.
"It's surreal for me watching it just to see him standing up on his own two feet, walking out of the hospital for the first time," Menachem Lazaroff said.
The rabbi spent weeks in critical condition, but support from the community helped him pull through, his brother said.
"The first thing he said was, wow, that's why I'm alive. Once he realized all the prayers that people are doing for him and all the good deeds people are doing," Menachem Lazaroff said.
Just hours after his release, Lazaroff surprised a crowd at the Sydney Opera House, playing the piano at a memorial for those who lost their lives in the attack. It was the same prayerful song he played before the shooting.
"Look at us and see, you know, how we're being attacked for our faith in you and persecuted for our belief," Menachem Lazaroff said. "Nevertheless, we still stick with you. We haven't forgotten you. Please don't forget us."
When asked what message his brother's recovery sends, Menachem Lazaroff emphasized resilience.
"We can't let it break us. We'll never let it break us," he said. "We're not gonna be terrorized. We're gonna continue living our lives. We're proud of who we are and again, we all gotta share our goodness."
Rabbi Leibel Lazaroff remains in Australia starting his rehabilitation, but his brother says they hope to have him back in College Station within the next few weeks.
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