Jewish donors push crowdfunding for Muslim 'hero' who fought Sydney terrorists to over $1.4 million

Jewish donors are rallying for Ahmed al-Ahmed, the Australian resident of Syrian descent who was wounded while single-handedly disarming one of the terrorists in Sunday’s attack at a Hanukkah party on Bondi Beach in Sydney, and has been widely hailed as a hero for his actions. 

A video of the 43-year-old Ahmed sneaking up behind one of the shooters and fighting him for the rifle went viral, being viewed millions of times on social media. Police say al-Ahmed’s actions undoubtedly saved many more lives. 

Following the report of al-Ahmed’s bravery, the Australian car dealership chain Car Hub launched a crowdfunding campaign “to show our gratitude and support.” 

“After witnessing the extraordinary actions of the hero who helped disarm one of the attackers during the Bondi tragedy, an act that prevented the loss of countless more lives, we felt compelled to act,” the campaign says. “In a moment of chaos and danger, Ahmed al-Ahmed stepped forward without hesitation. His actions were selfless, instinctive, and undeniably heroic, taken without regard for his own safety.” 

This is the verified link for the Bondi hero. I am told by @gofundme that the funds will only be released directly to the hero. https://t.co/2sc5Z1Vut1

— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) December 14, 2025

In the first hours after its launch, the campaign raised over AU$320,000 (close to $213,000 USD). One of the largest donors was Jewish hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who donated AU$99,999 and shared the campaign on his 𝕏 account. 

Ackman had called on the 𝕏 community to act quickly to help the civic hero. 

What is clear is that a brave hero saved lives in Australia. Who that hero is, is unclear, as there are various press reports on who he is.

Can anyone definitively identify who took down one of the Bondi terrorists?

Once that is determined, can someone please set up a verified…

— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) December 14, 2025

“Can anyone definitively identify who took down one of the Bondi terrorists?” he wrote shortly after the video of al-Ahmed first appeared online. “Once that is determined, can someone please set up a verified gofundme so we can reward him and his family?” 

He also went on to highlight Al-Ahmed’s identity after another post had called him a “Jewish hero." Ackman responded, writing, “Correction: Muslim hero. Thank you!”

Several other Jewish donors thanked al-Ahmed for his actions, with one citing a famous passage from the Mishnah about saving lives, while another Jewish donor linked his amount to the gematria (numerical value) for the Hebrew word for life. 

"Whoever saves one life saves the entire world" (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5). In Honor of Ahmed. A true hero. Who knows how many lives you saved that day,” one donor wrote. 

“Ahmed, you are a true hero. As a Jewish supporter, I donated $180 USD because 18 (“chai”) represents life. Your courage embodied that meaning in the most profound way. Thank you for what you did, and may you heal fully and quickly,” another commented.

In the Hebrew alphabet, each letter also has a numerical value, which is sometimes assigned a mystical meaning. For example, the number 18 is viewed as a lucky number due to its connection to chai, meaning life.

Al-Ahmed’s heroism was also praised by U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

“A very brave person, actually who went and attacked frontally one of the shooters and saved a lot of lives. A very brave person who is right now in the hospital and seriously wounded,” Trump said. “Great respect to the man who did that.” 

Netanyahu said, “We saw an action of a brave man – turns out a brave Muslim man, and I salute him – that stopped one of these terrorists from killing innocent Jews.” 

Reuters reported that Ahmed is recovering from surgery after being shot in the arm and hand. His recovery is expected to last around 6 months, according to a report in Australian media.