Matilda, 10, the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach massacre farewelled at emotional service …and the PM is most definitely NOT invited

Loud sobs were heard from family members as the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach massacre was laid to rest.

Matilda, 10, was shot dead by two gunmen, allegedly a father and son, as she celebrated the first day of Hanukkah with her family at the iconic Sydney beach on Sunday evening.

In the bloodbath, 15 innocent people were killed and 42 others were injured, including a rabbi’s eight-week-old son.

Matilda was bid farewell at the Chevra Kadisha Memorial Hall in Woollahra on Thursday. Hundreds of friends, family and political leaders attended, including Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, NSW Premier Chris Minns and Governor-General Sam Mostyn.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not attend the meeting because he was not invited; His parents, Valentyna and Michael, accused him on Wednesday of ‘failing’ to protect Australian Jews.

There were too many mourners to fit into the memorial hall before the service, and crowds spilled into the street to watch the proceedings on a screen set up for the service.

Family members were audibly weeping during the ceremony, as Rabbi Yehoram Ulman described Matilda in his eulogy as a “beautiful, sweet girl” who “grew up in a beautiful home, with a beautiful family.”

‘The tragic, utterly cruel, incomprehensible murder of young Matilda is such a painful thing for us that it is as if our own daughter had been taken from us,’ she said through tears.

Matilda’s mother Valentyna (centre) at her daughter’s funeral

Matilda’s parents Valentyna and Michael (pictured) leaving their daughter’s funeral

Mourners carry 10-year-old Matilda’s coffin out of the memorial hall

‘Losing a child is the greatest pain a parent can experience.

‘The external question is ‘Why?’ but there is none, for we cannot answer in the present life – it must survive what we have done.’

The rabbi gave a heartbreaking burial to his son-in-law, Eli Schlanger, on Wednesday.

He said Matilda will continue to inspire others. The Hebrew name meant ‘honest woman’, reflected in ‘sweet, gentle girl’.

‘We need to make sure that it doesn’t just stay in our hearts and minds and memories, but it also needs to stay alive in what we do, how we live our lives,’ he continued.

NSW Premier Chris Minns later read a heartfelt poem to mourners, referencing Matilda’s ‘beacon of love’ and ‘earthly light’.

‘They crashed out of the darkness to where the candles were shining brightly. “A celebratory child was lost in a night of terror,” Minns said.

‘She bore the name Matilda to honor this great country. The heart and soul of Australia forever hand in hand. waltzing with the angels.’

Matilda’s mother is supported by other mourners

Matilda’s father consoles his younger sister as her coffin is carried out of the memorial hall

Emotional scenes at Matilda’s funeral

A woman was seen crying on the shoulder of another mourner

As the ceremony ended in tears, Matilda’s mother, Valentyna, was seen walking down the aisle with teddy bears and getting into a black van decorated with bumblebees.

A crowd formed around Matilda’s coffin as mourners paid their respects.

There were tearful scenes as the hearse prepared to set off for the cemetery, with Ms Mostyn invited to walk behind the car.

Mourners then embraced each other and shared their thoughts on the ceremony and how it honored Matilda.

Some participated in a Jewish custom called netilat yadayim, a ritual for those attending a funeral or cemetery to wash their hands immediately when leaving the area or before entering a home.

This is a symbolic act of purification and transition.

There was a riot of color among a sea of ​​dark outfits as organizers handed out small bee stickers to attendees in memory of Matilda, whose middle name begins with B.

Opposition Leader Susan Ley came to the funeral

Australian Governor-General Sam Mostyn embraces a bereaved person

Some mourners carried large bouquets of flowers to the funeral on Thursday (pictured)

Matilda’s friends and family seen embracing ahead of her funeral

Matilda’s coffin was placed in the Chevra Kadisha Memorial Hall (pictured)

A white taxi van parked outside the hall had a large bumblebee emblazoned on its side window, while mourners carried bee balloons and flowers.

A heavy police and private security presence remained in Woollahra until the service ended.

As mourners dispersed and news crews gathered their equipment, three-year-old Gigi’s mother, Vanessa, was the last person seated on the steps of the memorial hall, shielded from gunfire beneath the body of a stranger.

Some mourners, including Reuven Morrison and Rabbi Eli Schlanger, said the police presence appeared larger than at funerals for other victims held the day before.

On Wednesday, Valentyna and Michael took aim at Albanese for what they described as their daughter’s underachievement.

‘[Albanese] failed my daughter and all the victims of the tragedy; “If they had done more, this wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

Michael said Albanese had not done enough to ‘protect the Jewish people in this country’.

‘He betrayed the Jewish people in Australia and around the world,’ he said.

‘For example, what does he think? And it showed what it was.”

Mourners gathered to bid farewell to Matilda

A mourner carries balloons as he arrives at a funeral

Matilda’s family attended the Bondi tribute on Tuesday

Matilda will be buried in Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park.

A second memorial service will be held Friday at his school in La Perouse.

Moments before the mass shooting began, photos showed Matilda wearing face paint and smiling with her younger sister, Summer.

At a memorial service on Tuesday, Michael held up a framed photo of Matilda as he addressed mourners.

‘Her name was Matilda because she was our first Australian. We came here from Ukraine and I thought Matilda was the most Australian name there could be. So just remember his name, remember him,” he told the crowd.

His mother said through tears: ‘It wasn’t just a bullet from the spray. This was not an accident. “It was a bullet fired at him.”

Her brother took comfort in knowing that Matilda was surrounded by family in her final moments, saying: ‘She knew she was loved, that she wasn’t alone.’

Relatives shared that his middle initial is ‘B’ and encouraged well-wishers to share a bee emoji in his honor on social media.

Following Sunday’s attack, the alleged gunmen were quickly identified as 50-year-old father Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram.

While Sajid was shot dead by the police, Naveed is being treated for his gunshot wounds in the hospital.

A lawsuit was filed against him for 59 crimes.