A Holocaust survivor, a 10-year-old and a Chabad rabbi were among the 15 people killed when two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah event at Australia’s Bondi Beach on Sunday.
Hundreds of people had gathered to mark the first day of the Jewish festival before the attackers struck at the event in Sydney.
The dead, who were ages 10 to 87, include French, Slovak and Israeli citizens, officials have said. At least 40 people were also wounded.
Police have not publicly identified any of the victims, but the names of some have been shared by relatives and friends.
Here are some of the victims identified so far:
Matilda Britvan
Ten-year-old Matilda Britvan was identified as one of those killed in the attack. She was identified by her aunt, Lina Chernykh.
Chernykh told Australia’s Channel 9 that her niece was “a happy kid” and that their heartbroken family would never recover from their loss.
“Everywhere she goes, she was like a sun,” Chernykh said.
Channel 9 reported that Matilda and her 6-year-old sister, Summer, were enjoying the celebrations at the beach Sunday when gunshots rang out. Matilda was fatally shot in front of her sister, according to the outlet.
Alex Kleytman
Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, 87, was identified as one of the victims of Sunday’s attack.
His wife, Larisa Kleytman, also a Holocaust survivor, confirmed his death to The Australian newspaper, saying she heard loud “boom” sounds before she saw him fall to the ground.
“He came on Bondi Beach to celebrate Hanukkah; for us it was always a very, very good celebration, for many, many years,” Larisa Kleytman told the outlet.
The couple emigrated from Ukraine and had been married for 57 years, living in Matraville in Sydney’s southeast, The Australian reported.
They recounted their experiences to the charity JewishCare in 2023, with Alex describing “dreadful conditions in Siberia where he, along with his mother and younger brother, struggled for survival,” the organization’s annual report said, according to The Australian.
Kleytman was a retired civil engineer, it said.
Dan Elkayam
French citizen Dan Elkayam was identified as one of the victims by Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s minister for Europe and foreign affairs.
“We mourn with his family and loved ones, with the grieving Jewish community and the Australian people,” Barrot said in a statement on X.
French President Emmanuel Macron also shared a statement about Elkayam’s death on X: “I am thinking of his family and loved ones and express to them the full solidarity of the nation,” Macron wrote.
A Sydney-based soccer club, Rockdale Ilinden FC, said in a statement on Facebook that Elkayam, 27, was a “Frenchman of Jewish faith” and “an extremely talented midfield player” with a passion for soccer. The club said he lived in eastern Sydney with his girlfriend and “loved the Australian way of life.”
According to a LinkedIn page that NBC News has verified as belonging to Elkayam, he was an IT systems administrator who recently moved from France to Australia “to explore new opportunities.” He was an employee of NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.
Eli Schlanger
A cousin of Eli Schlanger, a Chabad rabbi who helped organize the Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach, confirmed his death.
“He was truly an incredible guy,” Zalman Lewis, his cousin, said in a post on Instagram that he shared with a picture of Schlanger.
Despite the tragedy, Lewis wrote, the positive light of Hanukkah will triumph against the darkness. “I knew Eli well enough to know he’d concur,” he said, encouraging the Jewish community to pray and light Hanukkah candles.
On a Facebook page that NBC News has linked to Schlanger, he promoted the “Chanukah by the Sea at Bondi Beach” event last week. The page also says Schlanger hails from London.
Chabad of Rural and Regional Australia, a nonprofit organization that supports people living in areas that have little Jewish presence, also identified Schlanger among the deceased Sunday, saying: “Our hearts are shattered.”
Motti Seligson, a fellow rabbi and friend of Schlanger, told NBC News that Schlanger is survived by his wife and five children — all of whom were at the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach when the shooting occurred.
One of his children is barely 2 months old, Seligson said.
Schlanger also has several siblings in Australia, according to Seligson, who said he has spoken to some of them since the shooting.
“They’re all obviously numb and in shock,” he said.
“Schlanger served his community and really personified righteousness and service and dedication,” Seligson said.
Yaakov Levitan
Another Chabad rabbi reported killed in the attack was Yaakov Levitan.
His death was confirmed to The Guardian Australia by Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, a senior member of Sydney Beth Din, a rabbinic court.
The Chabad organization said in post on Instagram confirming his death that Levitan was the secretary of Sydney Beth Din and was deeply involved in Chabad operations in Sydney.
Peter Meagher
Peter “Marzo” Meagher was identified as having been killed in the attack by his Sydney-based rugby club, Randwick Rugby.
In a statement shared on its website, the club’s general manager, Mark Harrison, said Meagher was an “absolute legend” at the club and had served as a manager, a referee and a volunteer.
Harrison said that Meagher, a former police officer, was working as a freelance photographer at the Hanukkah event at Bondi and that “for him it was simply a catastrophic case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time.”
Tibor Weitzen
The granddaughter of Tibor Weitzen, 78, identified him as having been killed in the attack.
Leor Amzalak told Australia’s ABC News that Weitzen was “truly the best you could ask for.”
“He was so proud of us … and loved us more than life itself,” Amzalak told the outlet, which reported that Weitzen immigrated to Australia from Israel in 1988. “He only saw the best in people and will be dearly missed,” Amzalak said.
Reuven Morrison
Reuven Morrison’s daughter told CBS News that her father was killed while attempting to stop one of the two gunmen.
Sheina Gutnick said Morrison, 62, fled the Soviet Union to escape antisemitic persecution five decades ago and came to Australia because he thought it would be safe.
“From my sources and understanding, he had jumped up the second the shooting started. He managed to throw bricks at the terrorist,” Gutnick told CBS News.
She said her father was “shot dead for being Jewish.”
Boris and Sofia Gurman
Boris and Sofia Gurman have been confirmed killed in the attack after dramatic footage showed them attempting to stop and disarm one of the gunmen.
The dashcam video, which was shared on social media Tuesday and verified by NBC News, shows a man and a woman wrestling with and ultimately disarming a man on the side of the road.
Separate drone footage showed the couple subsequently lying motionless beside each other near to the pedestrian bridge where the suspects were shot by police.
The couple were identified by their family. Boris Gurman was a 69-year-old retired mechanic, according to ABC Australia, the national broadcaster. His wife, Sofia Gurman, was a 61-year-old Australia Post employee.
“They were people of deep kindness, quiet strength and unwavering care for others,” the family said in a statement to ABC. “This act of bravery and selflessness reflects exactly who they were: people who instinctively chose to help, even at great personal risk.”
Marika Pogany
Slovak citizen Marika Pogany has been identified among those killed by several of her friends quoted by Australia’s Channel 7.
Former Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputová said in a statement on Facebook that Pogany was a close friend, identifying her by her first name only.
The country’s current leader, Peter Pellegrini, also said Monday on X that a Slovak woman named Marika was killed in the attack, extending his “heartfelt and sincere condolences” to her family.
Pellegrini condemned the “brutal, deadly attack on innocent people” as he expressed solidarity with Australia, which he said was “plunged into grief and shock.”
Edith Brutman
Edith Brutman, the vice president of a Jewish nonprofit service in New South Wales, was also killed, her organization and family said.
“She led the organization’s anti-prejudice and anti-discrimination committee — work that now carries an even more painful and profound significance,” B’nai B’rith International said in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday.
Brutman was a “strong, loving, smart” woman and is survived by her son and a nephew, her cousin, Daniel Grunfeld, said Tuesday on Facebook.
Boris Tetleroyd
Boris Tetleroyd was with his son Yakov at the Hanukkah event when he was killed by the gunmen, his family said in a statement. His son was shot too, but is alive and recovering in the hospital, according to the family.
Tetleroyd was the primary provider for his wife, his niece in Sydney, Leia Roitour, said in a fundraiser she launched for the family.
Tetleroyd’s stepson, Roman Lyubovny, said on Facebook that his injured brother was in stable condition.
“Our family is living through an unimaginable loss,” Tetleroyd’s family said in a statement that they asked be shared in full. “Our beloved husband and father, Boris Tetleroyd, was killed during the attack at the Hanukkah gathering in Bondi. His son, Yakov Tetleroyd, was seriously injured and is currently recovering after multiple surgeries,” it said.
“Boris was a devoted husband to Svetlana, a loving father to Yakov, and a caring stepfather to Roman. He was a warm, generous, and deeply sociable man, someone who loved conversation, connection, and helping others whenever he could. He brought people together, and he was happiest when surrounded by family and community. Yakov is deeply religious and has devoted himself over many years to faith and learning. His commitment, discipline, and spiritual growth have been a source of pride and inspiration within our family,” the statement added. “We are a Jewish family. The Hanukkah gathering was meant to be a celebration of light, life, and togetherness ,values that are central to our faith and to the Australia we believe in and love. The Jewish community in Australia is small, deeply rooted, and proud to call this country home. Jewish Australians have contributed for generations to the fabric of this nation and wish only to live openly, peacefully, and without fear.”
It continued: “Recent years have been difficult and frightening for many in our community. This tragedy has shaken us deeply. Still, we do not seek blame or division. We seek understanding, compassion, and the ability to move forward without having to hide who we are. We pray for all those who were killed or injured, and for their families. We hope that even in this darkness, there can be a renewed commitment to humanity, dignity, and care for one another. May Boris’s memory be a blessing. We ask for privacy as we grieve and focus on supporting one another.”
