What We Know About the Victims of the Bondi Beach Attack

A Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old girl are among the at least 15 people who were killed by two gunmen during a terror attack on Sunday at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.  Officials have called the attack Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly 30 years, and are still in the process of naming those who were killed. Dozens of others were wounded by gunfire in the shooting.  Thousands of supporters have already returned to the scene of the attack and paid tribute to the victims, who were aged between 10 and 87 years old.  Read more: A Shooting That Strikes at the Heart of Australia Here’s what we know so far about the victims. Matilda Britvan The youngest victim who has been identified is 10-year-old Matilda Britvan, who was at Bondi Beach with her parents, younger sister, and friends celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. After being wounded in the shooting she was rushed to a hospital, where she died.  “Kids are supposed to be happy. They should be playing on the beach, not thinking about bullets flying around,” Matilda’s aunt Lina told CNN. Her language teacher, Irina Goodhew, called her a “bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her” on a fund-raising page opened for Matilda’s family. Rabbi Eli Schlanger An organizer of the event where the shooting took place, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, was also killed in the attack. He served as the assistant Rabbi at the Chabad of Bondi, which was hosting its “Chanukah by the Sea” party Sunday.  “For 18 years, the Schlangers served the Jewish community, but the rabbi’s influence extended far beyond the walls of a single synagogue,” the Chabad said in a statement. “He served as chaplain to NSW Corrective Services and NSW Prisoners of War; he was also chaplain at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, where he ministered to patients and families.” Rabbi Schlanger, 41, was a father of five. His youngest son was born in October, according to the Chabad. “Schlanger will be laid to rest in Sydney,” the Jewish organization said. Alex Kleytman Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor, died in the attack while protecting his wife Larisa from the gun-fire, according to the Chabad.  Kleytman, 87, had two children and 11 grandchildren, the Jewish organization added. Kleytman and his wife migrated from Ukraine to Australia and had been married for nearly 60 years, CNN affiliate 9News reported. Rabbi Yaakov Levitan Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, secretary of the Sydney Beth Din, was also killed in the attacks. He was “deeply involved in Chabad operations in Sydney,” the Chabad said.  “​Yaakov Levitan was a profoundly beloved and active member of the Sydney Jewish community,” a fundraising page for his family reads. “​Yaakov Levitan was a profoundly beloved and active member of the Sydney Jewish community.” Dan Elkayam Dan Elkayam, a French national, has been identified as one of the victims  as well.  “We mourn with his family and loved ones, with the Jewish community and the bereaved Australian people,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in a post on X. Elkayam moved from France to Australia and had been working for NBC Universal in Sydney for roughly a year, according to his LinkedIn page.  “France will spare no effort to root out antisemitism wherever it emerges and to combat terrorism in all its forms,” Barrot said.  Reuven Morrison Reuven Morrison, a businessman and longtime Melbourne resident, “discovered his Jewish identity in Sydney,” the Chabad said on X. He had a wife and a daughter, according to the Jewish organization. Peter Meagher Former New South Wales detective Peter Meagher was also among those killed in the shooting, Randwick DRUFC, Meagher’s rugby club, confirmed. He served in the police force for nearly 40 years and retired as a Detective Sergeant.  “’Marzo’ as he was universally known, was a much-loved figure and absolute legend in our club, with decades of voluntary involvement, he was one of the heart and soul figures of Randwick Rugby,” his club wrote.  Tibor Weitzen Seventy-eight-year-old grandfather Tibor Weitzen, a member of Bondi’s Chabad Synagogue, was celebrating at Bondi Beach with his wife and grandchildren before he was killed in the Sunday attack. His granddaughter Leor Amzalak told Australia’s ABC News Weitzen had come to Australia from Israel in 1988.  “My grandfather was truly the best you could ask for,” Amzalak told the outlet. “He only saw the best in people and will be dearly missed.” Marika Pogány Marika Pogány, an 82-year-old Slovak citizen, was also killed during the shooting, 9News reported.  Slovakia’s former President Zuzana Čaputová, a close family friend of Pogány, said she was an “extraordinary woman who lived her life to the fullest” in a statement posted on The Slovak Jewish Association’s Facebook page on Monday. “In her last message to me, Marika said ‘Live is a fight, take it as it is’.”