{"id":3745,"date":"2025-12-15T07:38:58","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T07:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=3745"},"modified":"2025-12-15T07:38:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T07:38:58","slug":"holocaust-survivor-london-born-rabbi-and-10-year-old-girl-among-victims-of-bondi-beach-terror-attack-bondi-beach-terror-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=3745","title":{"rendered":"Holocaust survivor, London-born rabbi and 10-year-old girl among victims of Bondi beach terror attack | Bondi beach terror attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

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At least 16 people were killed and more than 40 wounded when gunmen fired on a Hanukah celebration in Bondi beach, which Australian police and officials are describing as a terrorist attack.<\/p>\n

In the latest update on Monday morning, the New South Wales<\/a> premier, Chris Minns, confirmed 16 people, including one of the alleged gunmen, have died, and 42 people injured in the shooting were taken to hospital.<\/p>\n

Those who died are yet to be formally identified, but police believe their ages range between 10 and 87 years old, he said.<\/p>\n

Here are the victims who have been named so far.<\/p>\n

Matilda<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Matilda is the youngest victim of the Bondi beach shooting.<\/span> Photograph: Supplied by family<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 10-year-old girl killed in the attack has been identified as Matilda. Her aunt, Lina, gave permission for Guardian Australia to publish her first name and photos approved by her mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cA great tragedy has happened to my family,\u201d she wrote on social media. \u201cMy beloved niece Matilda was killed during a terrorist attack in Bondi beach. I don\u2019t know how we survive such grief.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matilda was taken to Sydney children\u2019s hospital on Sunday night, where she later died.<\/p>\n

She was a former student of the Harmony Russian school of Sydney, which said it was \u201cdeeply saddened to learn of her passing\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer memory will remain in our hearts, and we honor her life and the time she spent as part of our school family,\u201d the school said in a statement posted to social media.<\/p>\n

Her language teacher, Irina Goodhew, described her as a \u201cbright, joyful and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her\u201d.<\/p>\n

Peter Meagher<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Photographer Peter Meagher.<\/span> Photograph: Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Peter Meagher, also known as Marzo, died at Bondi on Sunday. He was a longtime volunteer at Randwick rugby club and they confirmed his death in a statement on Monday.<\/p>\n

The statement said Meagher was working as freelance photographer at the Chanukah By the Sea event, and described his death as \u201csimply a catastrophic case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time\u201d.<\/p>\n

It said Meagher was \u201cmuch loved figure and absolute legend in our club\u201d and \u201cone of the heart and soul figures of Randwick Rugby\u201d. He had served as first grade manager of the club for most of the last decade and was previously a highly respected referee.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn his professional life, Peter served for almost four decades in the NSW Police Force and retired as a Detective Sergeant, where he was hugely respected by his Police colleagues,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

The club said that Meagher was a \u201cmuch-loved figure\u201d and that training sessions wouldn\u2019t feel the same without him.<\/p>\n

Tibor Weitzen<\/h2>\n

Tibor Weitzen\u2019s grandson, Mendy Amzalak, told the Australian<\/a> his grandfather was a \u201cman full of life, joy, smiles and laughter\u201d, who died shielding a family friend from the bullets.<\/p>\n

Amzalak said he was one of the first responders at the scene when he came across his grandfather\u2019s body. \u201cMy family were there for the event and my wife called me so I ran down to the beach with my defibrillator and the shooting was still going. I started treating people and then I came across his body,\u201d he told the Australian.<\/p>\n

His granddaughter, Leor Amzalak, confirmed Weitzen\u2019s death to Guardian Australia.<\/p>\n

Eli Schlanger<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Rabbi Eli Schlanger. <\/span> Photograph: Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

London-born rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, was the first victim to be named.<\/p>\n

Jewish News reported<\/a> that the father of five, who was assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, a Jewish cultural centre, grew up in Temple Fortune, north London, and his family members attend Kinloss synagogue in Finchley. His first cousin, Brighton-based Rabbi Zalman Lewis, described Schlanger as \u201cvivacious, energetic, full of life and a very warm outgoing person who loved to help people\u201d.<\/p>\n

He told Jewish News: \u201cHow can a joyful rabbi who went to a beach to spread happiness and light, to make the world a better place, have his life ended in this way?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can only respond by doing what Eli would have wanted, what he dedicated his life to \u2013 doing more mitzvot [good deeds] and to keep spreading positive energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Schlanger and his wife, Chayala, celebrated the birth of their youngest child, a boy, in October.<\/p>\n

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which represents the Australian Jewish community, told the ABC Schlanger was \u201ca person who personified goodness and godliness and holiness, a person who lived literally for no reason other than to do good deeds\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was praying, please don\u2019t let it be him. I don\u2019t know what we\u2019ll do as a community without him,\u201d Ryvchin said.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Yossi Friedman said Schlanger was a \u201cwonderful community man\u201d, who was \u201cjust full of light\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just so positive and so obsessed with life and just bringing joy to everyone,\u201d Friedman said.<\/p>\n

Alexander Kleytman<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Alexander Kleytman.<\/span> Photograph: Jewish Care annual report<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alexander Kleytman was also among those killed, his wife, Larisa Kleytman, told reporters outside St Vincent\u2019s hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were standing and suddenly came the \u2018boom boom\u2019, and everybody fell down. At this moment he was behind me and at one moment he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me,\u201d she told the Australian<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The couple were both Holocaust survivors, and had recounted their experiences to JewishCare in 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs children, both Larisa and Alexander faced the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust. Alex\u2019s memories are particularly harrowing; the dreadful conditions in Siberia where he, along with his mother and younger brother, struggled for survival,\u201d the Australian Jewish health provider\u2019s 2022-23 annual report<\/a> reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe scars of the past, however, did not deter them from seeking a brighter future. They later made the move to Australia, immigrating from Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan Elkayam<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Dan Elkayam. <\/span> Photograph: Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The French foreign minister, Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot, has confirmed French man Dan Elkayam is among the dead. In a translated post from X, Barrot said France mourned with his family and loved ones, with the Jewish community and the Australian people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis low act is a new, tragic manifestation of a revolting outpouring of antisemitic hatred that we must put a stop to,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrance will spare no effort to eradicate antisemitism wherever it is emerges, and to combat antisemitism in all its forms. The lights of Hanukah must not be extinguished and they will not be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president, Emmanuel Macron, said his thoughts were with Elkayam\u2019s family and their loved ones and expressed to them \u201cthe fullest solidarity of the nation\u201d.<\/p>\n

Elkayam was a soccer fan and played the 2025 season with the Rockdale Ilinden football club premier league squad, who described him as an \u201can extremely talented and popular figure amongst team mates\u201d.<\/p>\n

He was due to join Arncliffe Aurora football club, in southern Sydney, for their premier league squad for the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cDan was a valued and deeply respected member of our football community. Our hearts are with his family, friends, teammates, and all those who loved him during this unimaginably difficult time,\u201d the club wrote on Instagram. \u201cDan will always remain part of our club.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reuven Morrison<\/h2>\n
<\/svg><\/span>Reuven Morrison.<\/span> Photograph: anash.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also known as Rueben, Morrison emigrated from the former Soviet Union to Australia in the 1970s. Chabad.org reported he divided his time between Sydney and Melbourne, and was a \u201csuccessful businessman whose main goal was to give away his earnings to charities dear to his heart\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a 2024 interview with the ABC<\/a>, Morrison said he had experienced persecution as a Jewish person in the Soviet Union but didn\u2019t expect it to be happening in Australia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Yaakov Levitan<\/h2>\n

Yaakov Levitan, secretary of the Jewish institution, the Sydney Beth Din, was killed in the attack.<\/p>\n

His death was confirmed to Guardian Australia by Sydney Beth Din senior member, Rabbi Yehoram Ulman.<\/p>\n

One Israeli citizen<\/h2>\n

An Israeli citizen was among those killed during the attack, according to multiple reports citing the Israeli foreign ministry.<\/p>\n

Thirty-eight injured, 27 still in hospital<\/h2>\n

Forty-two were transported to nearby hospitals and 27 remain \u2013 with five in critical conditions with the others remaining in serious and stable conditions. Two are police officers who attended the scene, who police said are in critical but stable conditions.<\/p>\n

One of the injured is a man who rushed to the scene to tackle one of the gunmen, who has been hailed a local hero. He has two bullet wounds, one in his arm and one in his hand, but is recovering well in hospital, his relative said. Seven News reported<\/a> that the bystander was a 43-year-old fruit shop owner from the Sutherland Shire.<\/p>\n

Arsen Ostrovsky<\/h2>\n

One of the injured to be identified is the head of the Sydney office of a public affairs organisation for the Australian Jewish community. Arsen Ostrovsky, head of the Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Sydney office and an international human rights lawyer, was named by the Jerusalem Post, where he is a longtime contributor, as among those wounded. The Jerusalem Post reported<\/a> Ostrovsky was receiving treatment and has been in contact with people via WhatsApp.<\/p>\n

An image has been released of Ostrovsky lying on the floor with blood dripping down his face.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I\u2019m] in [the] hospital recovering now,\u201d Ostrovsky wrote to the Jerusalem Post. \u201cBullet grazed head. Lot of bleeding. Doctors said miracle survived, was that close. Have been stitched up now. Worst thing was being apart from my wife + kids at that instance. I got hit when I went towards them. Thankfully they got out OK. It was absolute bloodbath, children and elderly everywhere. Felt like scene from Nova. But also incredible seeing how everyone rushed to help. Surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evan Zlatkis<\/h2>\n

Executive Council of Australian Jewry director of media, Evan Zlatkis, was also injured in the attack, telling the Daily Telegraph he heard \u201cdozens and dozens\u201d of gunshots. As he fled, he said he felt he was bleeding.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was rubber bullets, but it\u2019s gone into my own skin and into my leg,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been shot myself. They bandaged me up. I\u2019m ok.\u201d<\/p>\n