What we know about the victims of the Bondi Beach shooting in Australia

NBC News Clone summarizes the latest on: Bondi Beach Shooting Victims Australia Hanukkah Attack Rcna249203 - World News | NBC News Clone. This article is rewritten and presented in a simplified tone for a better reader experience.

The dead, who were ages 10 to 87, include French, Slovak and Israeli citizens, officials said.
Get more newsBondi Beach Shooting Victims Australia Hanukkah Attack Rcna249203 - World News | NBC News Cloneon

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 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.

Matilda Britvan.
Matilda Britvan.Family handout

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.

Dan Elkayam.
Dan Elkayam.via Facebook

“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."

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.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger.via Facebook

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.”

Peter Meagher.
Peter Meagher.Randwick Rugby Club

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.

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.

Marika Pogany.
Marika Pogany.via Facebook

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.”

×
AdBlock Detected!
Please disable it to support our content.

Related Articles

Donald Trump Presidency Updates - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone | Inflation Rates 2025 Analysis - Business and Economy | NBC News Clone | Latest Vaccine Developments - Health and Medicine | NBC News Clone | Ukraine Russia Conflict Updates - World News | NBC News Clone | Openai Chatgpt News - Technology and Innovation | NBC News Clone | 2024 Paris Games Highlights - Sports and Recreation | NBC News Clone | Extreme Weather Events - Weather and Climate | NBC News Clone | Hollywood Updates - Entertainment and Celebrity | NBC News Clone | Government Transparency - Investigations and Analysis | NBC News Clone | Community Stories - Local News and Communities | NBC News Clone