Reuven Morrison, 62, HYD

R’ Reuven Morrison, a member of the Chabad community who divided his time between Melbourne and Sydney, was murdered in the terror shooting attack in Sydney, Australia on the first night of Chanukah, 5786.

He was 62.

Reuven Morrison migrated to Australia from the former Soviet Union in the 1970s as a teenager and lived in Bondi in Sydney.

Despite living in Melbourne, Morrison remained closely tied to Sydney, where he continued his business activities. He was known as a kind and generous activist and philanthropist.

He was interviewed by the media last year about antisemitic incidents in Australia, and said he “knows what it is like to be persecuted.”

“Walking around the streets in the USSR we always looked back, we were aware of our environment, and we expected the unexpected,” Mr. Morrison said in December 2024.

He said Jewish people who emigrated from the USSR, especially the older generation, had lived through intimidation coming from both the Soviet establishment and the general population.

But he said the community was shocked that was also now happening in Australia. “We came here with the view that Australia is the safest country in the world and the Jews would not be faced with such anti-Semitism in the future, where we can bring up our kids in a safe environment.”

He is survived by his wife Leah and daughter Shaina Gutnick, and grandchildren.

Baruch Dayan Ha’emes. Hashem Yikom Damo.