Who were the victims of the Bondi beach shooting? what we know

At least 15 civilians have been confirmed dead in Sunday’s shooting attack on Bondi Beach.

Many were attending an event to mark the first day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Authorities have confirmed that the victims included two rabbis, a Holocaust survivor and a 10-year-old girl.

This is what we know about those identified so far:

Authorities confirmed that a 10-year-old girl, identified by her family to local media as Matilda, was among the dead.

Irina Goodhew, who organized a fundraiser for the girl’s mother and said she was the girl’s former teacher, wrote: “I knew her as a bright, happy, energetic girl who brought light to everyone around her.”

Sydney’s Harmony Russian School also confirmed she was one of their students.

“We are deeply saddened to share the news that a former student at our school has passed away in the hospital due to injuries sustained from a gunshot wound,” the school wrote on Facebook.

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and everyone affected by this tragic event…His memory will remain in our hearts and we honor his life and the time he spent as part of our school family.”

Meanwhile, her aunt spoke to ABC News and said Matilda’s sister, who was with her when she was shot, was struggling to come to terms with the loss.

“They were like twins: they’ve never been separated,” he told ABC.

Known as “Rabbi Bondi,” Eli Schlanger, 41, was one of the key organizers of Sunday’s event. He was head of the local mission of Chabad, an international Hasidic Jewish organization based in Brooklyn.

The death of the British-born father of five was confirmed by his cousin, Rabbi Zalman Lewis.

“My dear cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger @bondirabbi was murdered in today’s terrorist attack in Sydney,” Zalman wrote on Instagram. “He leaves behind his wife and young children, as well as my uncle, aunt and brothers… He was truly an amazing guy.”

In a post on its website, Chabad said Schlanger’s youngest son was just two months old.

“He was the most pious, most humane, kindest and funniest human being I think I’ve ever met,” Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jews told reporters in Bondi on Monday morning.

The death of French citizen Dan Elkayam was confirmed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

“It is with immense sadness that we learned that our compatriot Dan Elkayam was among the victims of the terrorist attack that affected Jewish families gathered on Bondi Beach in Sydney,” he wrote on social media. “We mourn with his family and loved ones, with the Jewish community and the Australian people.”

According to his LinkedIn profile, Elkayam worked as an IT analyst for NBCUniversal and moved to Australia last year.

He was also a keen footballer and “an integral member” of our premiership team, the Rockdale Ilindin Football Club in western Sydney wrote on their Facebook page.

He was “an extremely talented and popular figure among his teammates. Our deepest and deepest condolences go out to Dan’s family, his friends and everyone who knew him. He will be missed,” the club wrote.

Alexander Kleytman was a Holocaust survivor who came to Australia from Ukraine.

“I don’t have a husband. I don’t know where his body is. No one can give me any answers,” his wife Larisa Kleytman told reporters outside a Sydney hospital on Sunday night.

“We were standing and suddenly the ‘boom boom’ came, and everyone fell. At that moment he was behind me and at one point he decided to get closer to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay close to me,” he told the Australian.

Chabad wrote in X that Alexander “died protecting her from the gunman’s bullets. In addition to his wife, he leaves behind two children and 11 grandchildren.”

The couple shared part of their life story with Jewish Care in 2023.

“As children, both Larisa and Alexander faced the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust,” the health organization wrote in its annual report.

“Alex’s memories are particularly harrowing; they recall the terrible conditions in Siberia, where he, along with his mother and younger brother, fought to survive.”

Former police officer Peter Meagher was working as a freelance photographer at the Hanukkah event when he was murdered, his rugby club has confirmed.

“For him it was simply a catastrophic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Mark Harrison, managing director of Randwick Rugby Club, wrote on his website.

“‘March, as he was universally known, was a much-loved figure and an absolute legend at our club, with decades of voluntary involvement, he was one of the heart and soul figures of Randwick Rugby.”

The club said he had spent almost four decades in the New South Wales Police, where he was “highly respected by his colleagues”.

“The tragic irony is that he spent so much time on the dangerous front line as a police officer and was knocked down in retirement while taking photographs in his exciting role, it is truly difficult to comprehend,” the club said.

Reuven Morrison emigrated to Australia from the former Soviet Union in the 1970s when he was a teenager, according to an interview he gave to the ABC exactly a year ago.

“We came here with the idea that Australia is the safest country in the world and that Jews would not face such anti-Semitism in the future, where we will be able to raise our children in a safe environment,” he told the national broadcaster.

Confirming his death, Chabad said he was a long-time resident of Melbourne but “discovered his Jewish identity in Sydney”.

“A successful businessman whose main goal was to donate his profits to charities he values, particularly Chabad of Bondi,” the organization wrote in X.

The death of Rabbi Yaakov Levitan was confirmed by Chabad, who described him as a “popular coordinator” of its activities in Sydney.

He also served as clerk of the Sydney Beth Din – a rabbinical court – and worked at the BINA Centre, which describes itself as a Jewish learning centre.

Tibor Weitzen was at the event with his wife and grandchildren when he was killed trying to protect a family friend, Chabad said.

According to the organization, the 78-year-old was a “beloved” member of the Bondi Chabad synagogue.

His granddaughter Leor Amzalak told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that he was “the best anyone could ask for”.

He said Weitzen had emigrated to Australia from Israel in 1988.

“He only saw the best in people and we will miss him dearly,” he told the station.