The first funeral for a Bondi Beach shooting victim was held in Sydney as thousands gathered to mourn Rabbi Elie Schlanger.

He was one of two gunmen who opened fire during the holiday, marking the first day of Hanukkah, killing 15 people. Australia’s prime minister said the attacker appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Rabbi Schlang, who was born in England and is known as “Rabbi Bundy,” helped organize Sunday’s event. Two months ago, his wife gave birth to their fifth child.

Rabbi Levi Wolf, who officiated at the ceremony, said his death was an “indescribable loss” to the community, Chabad of Bondi and “the entire Jewish nation.”

“Eli was taken away from us, doing what he loved most,” he said.

“He was one of the noblest and most sacred souls who spread love and joy and cared for his people with endless self-sacrifice both in life and in death.”

His father-in-law expressed his condolences and described him as a much-loved man in the community. The 41-year-old, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, told the congregation at Chabad of Bondi that he was “my son, my friend, my confidant.”

“Besides the obvious regret, my biggest regret is telling Eli more often how much we love him, how much I love him, how much we appreciate everything he does, and how proud we are of him,” Rabbi Ullman said.

“I hope he knows that, but I think it should be said more often.”

Ullmann also urged Jews not to go into hiding after the attack and said they would continue a 31-year tradition of lighting the last candle at Bondi Beach on Sunday night – the last night of Hanukkah.

“All the rabbis come together, under the banner of our Bondi Chabat House, to which Eli dedicated his life, we will gather on Bondi Beach,” he said.

The funeral of Rabbi Yaakov Levitan was also held on Wednesday afternoon, while the funeral of the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda, will be held on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Bondi on Wednesday, Matilda’s father praised lifeguards, bystanders and police officers who helped as they tried to save his daughter’s life, as well as a woman who helped their youngest daughter Summer.

“I must express my sincerest gratitude to the woman who saved Summer’s life,” he said. “I didn’t know who she was, but she was literally hugging her throughout the ten-minute shoot.”

Schlanger’s funeral was attended by Opposition Leader Susan Ley, New South Wales Premier Chris Mings, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon.

Anthony Albanese was not in attendance. Asked about his absence on ABC News, the Prime Minister said: “I will attend any event I am invited to. These funerals are all about saying goodbye to people’s loved ones.”

The Jewish community criticized Albanese for not taking enough action against anti-Semitism.

The prime minister defended himself against the accusations on Wednesday, telling ABC News radio that he had taken a series of steps, including appointing the country’s first anti-Semitism envoy, strengthening hate speech laws and increasing funding for social cohesion projects and Jewish institutions.

Naveed Akram charged with 59 countsThese include 15 counts of murder and one count of terrorist acts, according to New South Wales Police.

Akram also faces 40 charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to murder and one charge of causing the public display of a banned terrorist group symbol.

His father, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead.

The attack was the country’s worst shooting since 1996.

Two police officers were seriously injured in the shooting, and police confirmed Wednesday that one of them was blind in one eye.

Jack Hibbert, 22, had only been on the force four months when he was shot, police said in a statement. During the attack, he “reacted with courage, instinct and selflessness, continuing to protect and help others while injured until he was no longer physically able to do so”.

Lanyon added that the second officer, Scott Dyson, underwent further surgery this morning and was in critical but stable condition.

Additional reporting by Simon Atkinson.