What to Know About the Victims of the Bondi Beach Shooting

At least 15 people were killed in the attack in Sydney, Australia, including a 10-year-old girl, a long-serving rabbi and a Holocaust survivor.

A long-serving rabbi of the local Jewish community. A French citizen celebrating Hanukkah in Australia. A Holocaust survivor.

They were among the victims of a terror attack at a Jewish celebration in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, which killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more. The authorities said on Monday that the victims ranged in age from 10 to 87.

Details are still emerging about those killed in the attack, which the authorities said had targeted attendees of a Hanukkah celebration held on Bondi Beach, one of Australia’s most iconic seafronts.

Here’s what we know.

The victims

Matilda

Matilda, 10, was the youngest to be killed in the attack. Her death was confirmed by her aunt, Lina Chernykh, who asked that only Matilda’s first name be used to protect the family’s privacy. Matilda’s younger sister, Summer, was with her at the time of the shooting but was not wounded, Ms. Chernykh said.

“She was happy, always smiling, laughing,” Ms. Chernykh said of Matilda. Summer, who saw the shooting, was traumatized, Ms. Chernykh added.

“I just hope no other family has to go through this pain,” Ms. Chernykh said.

A fund-raising page for Matilda’s family that was opened by one of her teachers described her as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her.”

Rabbi Eli Schlanger

Rabbi Schlanger was the assistant rabbi in Chabad of Bondi and a key organizer of the event.

His death was confirmed by Chabad, a global organization based in Brooklyn dedicated to strengthening and enriching Jewish life by providing religious, educational, social and cultural services around the world.

The organization said in a social media post that Rabbi Schlanger had served the Bondi community as a rabbi and chaplain for 18 years.

The event he organized, Hanukkah by the Sea, was intended to be “the perfect family event to celebrate light, warmth, and community,” according to a social media post. He was the “heart and soul” of the Chabad event, said Chaim Kastel, a nephew of Rabbi Schlanger who works as a jeweler in New York.

“He’s the guy on the microphone, he’s the guy getting everyone excited,” Mr. Kastel said. “He was the life behind these events.”

In 2023, he was among a delegation of rabbis who visited Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, according to The Australian Jewish News.

Peter Meagher

Mr. Meagher, 61, was a retired police officer, a freelance photographer and a rugby fan.

His death was confirmed in a statement by his family, who said that Mr. Meagher had served for almost 40 years in the New South Wales police force. He had been working on Sunday as a freelance photographer at the Hanukkah event.

“The tragic irony that Peter spent so long in the dangerous front line as a police officer and was struck down in retirement while pursuing his passion for taking photos is hard to comprehend,” his family said.

The Randwick District Rugby Union Football Club said that Mr. Meagher was a beloved fixture who volunteered for decades at the club, where he was universally known as Marzo.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia, and his four brothers, his family said.

Tibor Weitzen

Mr. Weitzen, 78, was known as the Chabad congregation’s “candyman,” who “brought joy and smiles to everyone,” the group said.

“A husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he lost his life shielding his loved ones, who were attending the event with him,” the organization said on social media.

Dan Elkayam

Dan Elkayam, a French citizen, was among the victims of the attack, President Emmanuel Macron of France said on social media on Sunday.

Mr. Elkayam, 27, had been living in Sydney’s eastern suburbs with his girlfriend, according to Rockdale Ilinden, a soccer club. The club’s president, Dennis Loether, said that Mr. Elkayam played midfield for the team.

Mr. Elkayam was an I.T. systems administrator who moved to Australia last year to “explore new opportunities,” according to his LinkedIn profile.

“He loved the Australian way of life,” Mr. Loether said on social media. “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.”

He had attended the event to celebrate Hanukkah, Chabad said on social media.

Alex Kleytman

Mr. Kleytman was a native of Ukraine and a Holocaust survivor, Chabad said on Sunday. He attended the Hanukkah event with his children and grandchildren, the organization said.

Mr. Kleytman died shielding his wife, Larisa, from the gunman’s bullets, the group added. He is survived by his wife, his two children and 11 grandchildren.

Reuven Morrison

Mr. Morrison, a businessman originally from what was the Soviet Union, “discovered his Jewish identity in Sydney,” Chabad said. He spent his time between Melbourne, where he and his wife moved for his daughter’s education, and Sydney, where he did business, the group added.

Marika Pogany

Ms. Pogany, 82, was fatally shot at the event, according to 9News, an Australian outlet. She was a longtime volunteer who won an award in 2019 for delivering over 12,000 kosher meals for Meals on Wheels, a service for people unable to cook or shop for themselves, according to The Australian Jewish News.

President Peter Pellegrini of Slovakia said on social media that a Slovak woman named Marika had been killed in the attack, without specifying her last name. “Grief has reached Slovakia as well,” Mr. Pellegrini said.

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan

Rabbi Levitan served as the secretary of Sydney Beth Din, a Jewish organization, and was “deeply involved in Chabad operations” in the city, according to Chabad.

The Injured

Arsen Ostrovsky, who told the news media that he had moved from Israel to Australia only two weeks ago, was among those wounded in the attack. Mr. Ostrovsky, who will lead the Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council, told Australian outlets that he had seen at least one gunman “firing randomly in all directions.” A bullet grazed his head, he said later in a social media post.

The New South Wales police also said that two officers had been wounded in the shooting. One of them, Constable Scott Dyson, was hospitalized in serious but stable condition, the force said on Monday. A second officer, whom the police did not name, was said to be in a similar state.

Aaron Boxerman and Ségolène Le Stradic contributed reporting.

Related Content