Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, 39, HYD

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, a Chabad Shliach in Sydney, Australia, was murdered in a terror attack on the first night of Chanukah, 5786.

He was 39.

Rabbi Levitan was originally from Johannesburg, South Africa. He held a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management from the University of South Africa and later studied Rabbinic and Talmudic Studies at the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.

In Australia, he served as the Secretary of the Sydney Beth Din, where he worked in an administrative and operational capacity, supporting rabbinical proceedings and communal functions.

He was also an administrator at the BINA Library and Educational Resource Centre in Sydney, where he was involved in day-to-day management, budgeting, audit support, marketing initiatives, and oversight of educational and religious services, including BINA Sofer Services.

In addition to his communal roles, Rabbi Levitan was the founder and owner of tapNgive, a Sydney-based initiative providing tap-and-pay donation kiosk solutions for charities and nonprofit organizations, helping modernize charitable giving within the Jewish and broader nonprofit sectors.

Community leaders described Rabbi Levitan as a dedicated, behind-the-scenes worker whose quiet professionalism and commitment were essential to the functioning of Sydney’s Jewish institutions.

He was very humble and devoted Torah and Mitzvos is and his beloved family. He dedicated his life to the Sydney community and worked behind the scenes of many organizations supporting rabbis and community members without ever needing praise or fanfare, a friend said.

He is survived by his wife Adina and children Shlomo, Mina, Levi and Calev.

Baruch Dayan Ha’emes. Hashem Yikom Damo.