Within days of the tragedy in Boston, a grandfather is being hailed as a ‘true hero’ after a harrowing video recorded his act of courage to save others in a horrifyingincident at Australia’s famous Bondi Beach.
Reuven Morrison, aged 62, was observing Hanukkah with a gathering of citizens when the non-violent event was brutally disrupted by the threat of danger. It was a second of paramount courage when Reuven chose to stand by and shelter, instead of running away, and was seen throwing bricks to divert the attention of the danger with a intent to shield the crowd around him. Witnesses of this occurrence described this person to be completely absorbed in protecting others.
Unfortunately, Reuven was shot shortly after that. He was unresponsive and shortly passed away after the shooting.
His daughter, Sheina Gutnick, went on to speak about how his actions were a result of his complete and utter love and lack of selfishness. “He was yelling, standing tall, for his community, doing everything he could to help out. To me, it’s exactly who he was right until the end, a man who protected others around him, come what may,” Sheina Gutnick said.
“Sheina liked to remember Reuven as a man of infinite kindness, a man who always brought a warm and pervasive sense of humor wherever he went, a man whose very presence could illuminate a room he entered,” Sheina wrote. “Reuven was a loving father and grandfather and a rock for his community.” His family says he always put other people before him and lived life filled with compassion and integrity.
Reuven was not the only person attempting to stop the violence. In fact, he is just one of a number of unarmed civilians showing the kind of courage needed to protect others from the attack. Another couple was seen attempting to help others when they tragically died. Another man named Ahmed, a father of two children, also managed to calm an attacker down and protect others. In the process, he was seriously injured but is a testament to the bravery seen in the aftermath of the attack. With continued tributes pouring in, Reuven Morrison’s memory has been made not only in death, but in the way in which he lived: with courage, with grace, and with an unswerving determination to shield everyone around him. His memory will now live on in the multitude of people that he touched in life and in the courage that he showed when it counted.
