A rabbi, a traveller and a Holocaust survivor

Ten-year-old Matilda Britvan celebrated the first day of Hanukkah by eating cake and playing with animals with her six-year-old sister.

He was shot later, in the moments of unbridled terror that ensued on the grassy periphery of Bondi Beach.

He was among 15 innocent people killed in the attack that left a gunman dead. The victims include a Holocaust survivor, a young Frenchman exploring the world, and a rabbi who shared that he was dancing with joy.

Most of those killed and injured were members of Sydney’s Jewish community of Russian and former Soviet Union descent. The Bondi branch of the Chabad Orthodox Jewish congregation, which organized Sunday’s Hanukkah event, is known as FREE (Friends of Eastern European Refugees) and had a reputation for catering to Russian-speaking Jews across Sydney.

As of 1pm, 27 patients remained in Sydney hospitals, with several more discharged during the day.

Matilda Britvan

The youngest victim was 10-year-old Matilda Britvan.

Matilda’s aunt, Lina, said she was having a hard time accepting her niece’s death. He and other members of his family initially thought the 10-year-old would survive his gunshot wounds.

“I started screaming, ‘I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it,'” he said. “I still hope this isn’t true, but it looks like it is.”

Lina described Matilda as a “happy, bright” girl. “He would always kiss me, hug me and give me energy to be happy,” she said.

“I’ll never see her smile again, only in my photographs.”

Lina said the family knew many of those killed and injured.

Matilda’s language teacher Irina Goodhew started a campaign. GoFundMe page “I knew him as a bright, cheerful and energetic child who brought light to everyone around him,” she writes of the family.

Dan Elkayam

French national Dan Elkayam, who was reported to have been killed by French President Emmanuel Macron, was remembered as a star football player and a popular name.

The IT analyst for NBC Universal grew up in the northwestern suburbs of Paris and had lived in Australia for several years.

He was living in Sydney’s east with his girlfriend. Team-mates at Rockdale Ilinden Football Club said he was a “hugely talented and popular figure” at the Premier League 1 team.

“To say we are shocked would be an understatement,” said club president Dennis Loether.

“As well as spending time at the beach and socializing with friends, football was his passion… He loved the Australian lifestyle.

“Those closest to him described him as a down-to-earth, happy-go-lucky person who was warmly embraced by those he met,” Loether said. “His smiling face and respectful nature will be greatly missed by his teammates and everyone who knew him. We pray for him and his family.”

Eli Schlanger

Also among the dead is Eli Schlanger, 41, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, Chaya’s husband and father of five children, the youngest of whom is a newborn boy.

British-born Schlanger danced with joy and defiance in a video she posted to X on Hanukkah last year: tells his followers He said this was the best way to combat antisemitism.

NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane described Schlanger as a “beautiful man and a great leader”.

Rabbi Schapiro of Chabad North Shore said Schlanger was the first rabbi in Sydney to fly to Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

“He was one of the most influential rabbis in Sydney and was completely dedicated to caring for people and helping them grow,” Schapiro said.

“The message he wants everyone in society to know is that we cannot allow this hatred to continue without light and we need to ask everyone to do something positive.

“Whether it’s volunteering or just lighting a Hanukkah candle, that’s the message it will send.”

Chavi Block-Israel, who hid from the gunman with her six-month-old baby and knew many of those killed, said Schlanger was “just a lover of humanity and world peace.”

Yaakov Levitan

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan served as secretary of the Sydney Beth Din (a rabbinical court) and worked at the BINA Center for Jewish learning.

At the event at Bondi Beach on Sunday, he was handing out tefillin, two small black boxes containing Torah scrolls that Jewish men often wear on their arms and heads during morning prayers, according to Chabad-affiliated news site Anash.org. reported.

Block-Israel, who knew Levitan through his father, a close friend, said he was “the biggest do-gooder, the biggest helper, if you need something done, you can go to him.”

Schapiro described her close friend as someone who was “always a bright light and never afraid.”

“It’s hard for me to even breathe when I think about him… we are absolutely devastated to see him go,” Schapiro said.

He said Levitan’s wife was at the Chabad North Shore synagogue in St Ives when news of the shooting began to spread.

“As soon as we heard [Yaakov] “While she was in the hospital, she burst into tears and rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately she didn’t make it.”

Reuven Morrison

Chabad wrote in X that Morrison, a member of the Chabad community, was a businessman from the Soviet Union before “discovering his Jewish identity in Sydney.”

He divided his time between Sydney and Melbourne, where he lived with his wife and daughter.

Block-Israel said Morrison was a ba’al Chesed, which means a man of great kindness. “He gave so much alms that he would go to anyone who needed help and help them without questioning.

“These are three great losses for the Jewish community, especially the Chabad community,” Morrison said of Schlanger and Levitan.

Peter Meagher

Randwick Rugby Club has confirmed the death of retired police detective and rugby player Peter Meagher, also known as Marzo.

“Peter was working as a freelance photographer at the ill-fated Hanukkah event,” Mark Harrison, the club’s general manager, said in a message to members. “[F]Or for him, it was just a disastrous case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time.”

“It is truly difficult to understand the tragic irony that he spent so long on the dangerous front lines as a police officer and was shot while taking photographs in his passionate role in retirement,” Harrison wrote.

Recalling his friend of 30 years, Steve Keys said Marzo was always a lovely man who had “a mountain of friends.”

“Peter not only served our country by supporting our safety and laws. He actively gave back to the community by giving tirelessly through his love of our sports,” Keys wrote on Facebook.

“What better way to live your life than doing something you love,” Keys said. he said. “Rest in peace ‘Marzo’ – we all love you and will miss you so much. We are devastated.”

Alex Kleytman

Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor and native of Ukraine, attended the event with his wife, Larissa Kleytman.

Speaking in front of St. Vincent Hospital, the woman said, “I don’t have a husband. I don’t know where his body is. No one can give me an answer.”

Chabad said Kleyton died protecting his wife from bullets.

“[H]He leaves behind two children and 11 grandchildren,” Chabad told X.

Tibor Weitzen

Father and grandfather Tibor Weitzen was remembered as a family man and a beloved member of the Bondi Chabad Synagogue and the Jewish community.

Chabad news service Live broadcast He reported that Tibor attended the event with his wife and grandchildren and was killed while protecting others.

Robert Gregory of the Australian Jewish Association said Tibor was a familiar face at Chabad events in Bondi. He and his wife, Eva, were long-time supporters of the Bondi Shul and the Russian Jewish Community.

40 year old man

An unidentified 40-year-old man was taken to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Sunday but died at the hospital, NSW Police said on Monday.

Dozens of injured in hospital

Forty-two patients were transported or taken to various hospitals in Sydney. Two of those patients died from their injuries, and 13 were discharged Monday afternoon.

With Nicole Precel and Jonathan Drennan

Bondi Beach incident helplines:

• Victim Services helpline 1800 411 822
• Public Information and Research Center 1800 227 228
• Inform the police 1800 333 000

​NSW Health disaster mental health support clinicians will be on hand in Bondi in the coming days and weeks. These personnel will be mobile and identified by NSW Health vests.

Other support:

• NSW Health Mental Health Line available 24/7 1800 011 511​
• Call Lifeline for crisis support 13 11 14
• Children and young people can call the Child Helpline at: 1800 55 1800 or chat online at: kidshelpline.com.au.