NEW YORK, NY – The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation has presented American Airlines with its Medal of Valor Award for an extraordinary effort by airline employees to help a childhood friend of Rabbi Eli Schlanger reach Sydney in time for the rabbi’s funeral after he was murdered in the December 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack.
The award was presented at the foundation’s 2026 Annual Gala and recognized employees who coordinated across departments and continents to overcome a missed connection and get the passenger from Los Angeles to Australia.
Schlanger, 41, a Chabad emissary and father of five, was among 15 people murdered when two gunmen attacked a Chanukah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, 2025. More than 40 people were injured. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the shooting as an act of antisemitic terrorism.
A Race to Reach Sydney
In the hours after the attack, one of Schlanger’s childhood friends began traveling from Miami to Sydney to attend his funeral.
He flew from Miami to Los Angeles aboard American Airlines and was scheduled to continue to Australia on another carrier. Delays, however, caused him to miss the connecting flight.
With the funeral approaching, it appeared he would not reach Sydney in time.
According to the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, American Airlines employees learned why the passenger was traveling and began working on an alternative.
Airline personnel communicated with him during the flight through the captain and arranged to transfer him onto an American Airlines service from Los Angeles to Sydney.
The operation involved considerably more than changing his ticket.
American employees arranged for the Miami flight to arrive at a different gate at Los Angeles International Airport, bringing it closer to the Sydney departure gate. Before landing, crew members moved the passenger to the front of the aircraft so he could leave immediately.
The Sydney flight was held while the transfer took place.
Ground personnel met the passenger at the jetway and brought him directly to the waiting aircraft, which was positioned only two gates away.
American Airlines ultimately provided his ticket to Sydney at no charge, according to AJCF.
The effort succeeded. Schlanger’s friend arrived in Sydney in time for the funeral and was able to join the rabbi’s family and community in mourning.
Schlanger’s funeral was held Dec. 17 at the Chabad of Bondi synagogue under heavy security. Australian officials, community leaders and mourners gathered to remember a rabbi who had served the community for approximately 18 years.
‘An Act of Moral Leadership’
AJCF Director General Jack Simony said the foundation viewed the airline employees’ response as more than exceptional customer service.
“The employees who coordinated this effort, including Zak Rakrouki and Mohamad Najjar, showed extraordinary empathy and compassion during a moment of profound grief,” Simony said.
He said holding the flight so a grieving friend could attend Schlanger’s funeral represented “an act of moral leadership.”
The foundation also recognized American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, the company’s leadership and its workforce.
The airline’s actions carried particular meaning for AJCF because the organization has advocated on behalf of Jewish airline passengers who have reported antisemitism and religious discrimination while traveling.
Against that backdrop, Simony said the response demonstrated that individual employees and institutions can make consequential choices when confronted with human suffering.
American Airlines CEO Praises Employees
Isom said the employees’ actions reflected the airline’s responsibility to care for passengers beyond simply transporting them between destinations.
“I’m so proud of our team,” Isom said. “Caring for people on life’s journey isn’t just a motto; it’s about what we come to work to do, every day.”
He singled out Rakrouki and Najjar, saying they “embodied exactly what caring for people on life’s journey means.”
“They were there, and ready, and able to help, at a time of greatest need,” Isom said.
AJCF Chairman Simon Bergson said the episode illustrated the impact that decisions by individual employees can have within large institutions.
“When confronted with a grieving friend racing to attend the funeral of a victim of terror, American Airlines employees chose empathy over indifference and action over bureaucracy,” Bergson said.
“Their decisions changed the outcome of a profoundly human moment.”
Remembering Rabbi Eli Schlanger
Schlanger was an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a prominent figure in Sydney’s Jewish community. He was also one of the organizers of the Chanukah celebration attacked by the gunmen.
The event had brought members of the Jewish community together to celebrate the first night of Chanukah when the attackers opened fire. Among those murdered were Schlanger, another rabbi, Holocaust survivors and a 10-year-old girl.
Schlanger was remembered after his death for his community work, religious leadership and dedication to Jewish life. Chabad said he had spent 18 years serving the Bondi community and was also a chaplain working with correctional services and a Sydney hospital.
The Medal of Valor recognized the American Airlines employees whose actions ensured that one of the people who had known Schlanger long before his years in Australia could be present for his final farewell.
For AJCF, the episode offered a counterpoint to the antisemitism that formed the context of the attack itself.
“Acts like these begin with extraordinary individuals,” Simony said, “but they are only possible in an organization that empowers people to do what is right when it matters most.”
