Holocaust survivor and 10-year-old with gentle soul among those killed in Bondi Beach shooting
People weep and offer flowers at a floral memorial for victims of Sunday's shooting at the Bondi Pavilion at Bondi Beach on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)2025-12-16T06:49:39Z SYDNEY (AP) Before the bloodshed and broken hearts, there was a little girl with a gentle soul, a loving grandmother who delivered meals to the needy and a young man dubbed a golden person for his kindness. And there was an 87-year-old grandfather who sought solace in Australia after surviving the Holocaust, only to die in what officials have called antisemitic terrorism.They are among the 15 people killed Sunday evening by two gunmen during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydneys famous Bondi Beach. Australias federal police commissioner said it was a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic State group.Here is a closer look at some of the victims: The youngest victim who saw beauty in everyoneMatilda, a 10-year-old whose last name has been withheld at the request of her family, was the youngest person killed in the massacre.Matildas language teacher, Irina Goodhew, who launched a GoFundMe for the girls grieving family, described her in a Facebook post as a gentle girl who saw beauty in everyone.Matilda was a bright and loving soul who taught us that true goodness is found in the love and compassion we share, Goodhew wrote. Her memory reminds us to carry kindness in our hearts and spread it to the world. May the light of her eyes live on through us in our actions, our words, and our love for one another. The assistant rabbi who showed a kind heartEli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad-Lubavitch of Bondi, organized Sundays Chanukah by the Sea event. He was a father of five, the youngest of whom was born just two months ago, according to Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish movement that runs outreach worldwide.The 41-year-old, London-born Schlanger also served as chaplain to the states corrective services department and as a chaplain at a Sydney hospital, where he ministered to patients and families.Schlanger would go wherever he was needed to help people including prisons, said his friend, Ben Wright.Eli was a very special person, Wright told The Associated Press while standing near a cordoned-off section of Bondi the morning after the attack, a black box containing Torah verses strapped to his arm. He spent a lot of his time trying to get Jews to do one good deed.Wright, who saw friends and strangers gunned down during the attack while cradling his 6-month-old baby, said he hopes to emulate Schlangers goodness. A pillar of the Jewish community known for kindnessYaakov Levitan, a rabbi and father of four, was known for his kindness and dedication to helping others, according to the Chabad movement, which described him as a vital, behind-the-scenes pillar of Sydneys Jewish community.Originally from Johannesburg, the 39-year-old served as the general manager of Chabad of Bondi and worked with the Sydney Beth Din, or religious court. Thoughtful volunteer who delivered mealsMarika Pogany, an 82-year-old grandmother and community volunteer, delivered thousands of kosher meals to those in need, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary said in a statement.COA, a Sydney volunteer service for Jewish seniors, said in an Instagram post that Pogany was part of the beating heart of COA and a source of warmth for thousands of people.For 29 years she arrived at COA with her quiet smile and her steady kindness, COA wrote. She lifted the room simply by being in it. She asked for nothing and gave everything.Zuzana aputov, the former president of Slovakia, called her Marika and described Pogany as her long-term close friend who had visited Slovakia every year since 1989.A golden person with a talent for soccerDan Elkayam, a 27-year-old French national described by his brother as a golden person, was a talented soccer player who lived with his girlfriend in Sydneys eastern suburbs.Elkayams brother, Jrmie Elkayam, told broadcaster France Info that his brother was someone extraordinary who profited from life, wasnt at all materialistic, who understood the value of things and who loved to travel.We are four brothers and, of the four, for me he was the kindest of us, Jrmie Elkayam said.Sydney soccer club Rockdale Ilinden FC said in a statement that Elkayam was an extremely talented and popular player with the clubs Premier League team who will be sorely missed by his teammates and everyone that knew him. Those who were closest to him described him as a down to earth, happy go lucky individual who was warmly embraced by those he met, club President Dennis Loether said.French Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Barrot wrote in a post on X that Elkayams death was yet another tragic manifestation of a revolting surge in antisemitic hatred that we must defeat.Retired police officer considered a rugby club legendPeter Meagher, known to friends as Marzo, was a retired police officer and a team manager and beloved volunteer at Randwick rugby club, which condemned the abhorrent targeted attack on our Jewish community in a statement Monday and called Meagher an absolute legend in our club. Meagher was working as a freelance photographer at the Bondi Hanukkah event, the club said, noting his presence was simply a catastrophic case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time. A photograph with the statement showed Marzo written in chalk on a rugby field, along with a team jersey. Heroic bystander who tried to stop the violenceReuven Morrison, 62, was killed while trying to stop one of the shooters, according to his daughter, Sheina Gutnick.Gutnick told CBS News that her father is the person seen in widely circulated video footage throwing objects at the gunman, which Gutnick said were bricks, after another passerby, Ahmed al Ahmed, wrestled the gun away from the shooter.I believe after Ahmed managed to get the gun off the terrorist, my father had then gone to try and unjam the gun, to try and attempt shooting. He was screaming at the terrorist, she said. Morrison migrated to Australia from the Soviet Union five decades ago to escape antisemitic persecution. He thought Australia would be safe, Gutnick said.This is where he was going to have a family, where he is going to live a life away from persecution, she said. And for many years, he did do that; he lived a wonderful, free life. Until Australia turned on him.The Holocaust survivor who protected his wifeAlex Kleytman was an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who had moved to Australia from Ukraine.I have no husband. I dont know where is his body, his wife Larisa Kleytman told reporters outside a Sydney hospital Sunday. Nobody can give me any answer.Larisa told The Australian newspaper that her husband died while protecting her.We were standing and suddenly came the boom boom, and everybody fell down, she said. 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.The couple survived the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust as children before moving to Australia, according to a 2023 report by JewishCare, a service provider for Australias Jewish community.A grandfather filled with family prideTibor Weitzen, a 78-year-old grandfather who saw the best in people, migrated to Australia from Israel in 1988, his granddaughter said.My grandfather was truly the best you could ask for, Leor Amzalak told the Australian Broadcasting Corp., the countrys public broadcaster. He was so proud of us and loved us more than life itself.___Panagiotis Pylas in Sydney, John Leicester in Paris, Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report. KRISTEN GELINEAU Gelineau is a global investigative reporter for The Associated Press, based in Sydney. She covers human rights issues across the Asia-Pacific. twitter mailto
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