Aa
  • Read, Watch, Listen
  • TJI Series
  • Community Action
  • Events
  • Zedi
Follow us and continue the conversation
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Test yourself with the TJI Quiz!

Adjust size of text

Aa

Follow us and continue the conversation

  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube

Your saved articles

You haven't saved any articles

What are you looking for?

Original reporting, insightful analysis and diverse views, delivered straight to your inbox

  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Your support fuels our mission to inform, entertain and inspire.

The Jewish Independent is bound by the Standards of Practice of the Australian Press Council. If you believe the Standards may have been breached, you may approach The Jewish Independent or make a complaint to the Australian Press Council in writing at www.presscouncil.org.au. The Council may also be contacted on 1800 025 712.

  • Our Story
  • Contact us
  • Our Team
  • Support us
  • Guidelines
  • Pitch your idea
  • Republishing us
  • Community Action
  • Our Awards
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • FaceBook
  • X
  • YouTube
Aboriginal FlagTorres Strait Islanders Flag

The Jewish Independent acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and strive to honour their rich history of storytelling in our work and mission.

© The Jewish Independent 2026All Rights Reserved
Website design and development by Your Creative, MelbourneTerms & ConditionsPrivacy Policy
HomeRead, Watch, ListenAustralia
NewsAustralia

We mourn these victims of the Bondi terror attack

The victims of the Bondi massacre include a 10-year-old girl, a Holocaust survivor and a volunteer honoured for delivering more than 12,00o kosher Meals on Wheels to the needy.
The Jewish Independent
Print this
Bondi victims 15

From top left: Tibor Weitzen, Matilda, Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, Marika Pogany, Rabbi Eli Schlanger; middle row: Dan Elkayam, Reuven Morrison, Alex Kleytman, Peter Meagher, Boris Gurman, Sofia Gurman, Edith Brutman, Boris Tetleroyd, Adam Smyth, Tania Tretiak

Published: 16 December 2025

Last updated: 22 December 2025

Fifteen innocent victims were killed in the attack on Chanukah by the Sea on Sunday night. The sixteenth death was one of the perpetrators. A further 27 people remain in hospital, six of them in a critical condition.

The victims range from a 10-year-old girl to a 82-year old woman, and include a Holocaust survivor and several other migrants to Australia. They are remembered as community volunteers and rabbis, a police officer, an IT professional, and, most of all, as children, parents, grandparents, siblings and friends.

Twelve names of victims have been released so far. This report will be updated as additional names are released.

The Jewish Independent

Matilda, 10

Matilda, the youngest victim, attended Harmony Russian School of Sydney and formerly the Bellevue Hill School. Her language teacher, Irina Goodhew, launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for Matilda’s mother. Goodhew described her as “a bright, joyful and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her”.

The Jewish Independent

Dan Elkayam, 27

Dan Elkayam had been in Australia for several years after emigrating from France and worked as an IT analyst for NBC Universal, according to his LinkedIn profile. Elkayam, who was Jewish, was celebrating Chanukah at the beach. He was a football fan and played for the Rockdale Ilinden Football Club, where he was “an extremely talented and popular figure”.

The Jewish Independent

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41

Eli Schlanger, 41, an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, was a husband and father of five, the youngest a baby boy. The British-born Schlanger danced with joy and defiance in a video he posted to X during Chanukah last year, telling his followers that it was the best way to fight antisemitism.

Schlanger was an organiser of the Chanukah by the Sea event. His death was confirmed by Chabad, whose Bondi Beach chapter hosted the event.

The Jewish Independent

Marika Pogany, 82

Marika Pogany, who was sitting in the front row at the Chanukah event, was a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who remained connected to her heritage after emigrating to Australia, according to Hungarian and Jewish sources. Pogany was a member of Sydney's Centre of Activity (COA) for Jewish seniors and had been awarded the Jewish Communal Appeal’s Mensch Award for delivering over 12,000 kosher 'Meals on Wheels' since the late 1990s.  She was also a longtime member of the Harbour View Bridge Club in Rose Bay, and described by friends as one of the "most beautiful people" they knew.

The Jewish Independent

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan, 39

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan was a father of four , rabbi and community leader. He had served as the secretary of the Sydney Beth Din, the Jewish religious court. Rabbi Levitan worked closely with Rabbi Michoel Gourarie, the founder of BINAH, and was deeply involved in Chabad operations across the city.

The Jewish Independent

Alex Kleytman, 87

Alex Kleytman, a Holocaust survivor and native of Ukraine, had attended the event with his wife, children and grandchildren, Chabad reported. “He died shielding [his wife Larissa] from the gunman’s bullets,” Chabad wrote on X. “In addition to his wife, he leaves behind two children and 11 grandchildren.” Kleytman survived the Holocaust fighting alongside his mother and younger brother. After the war, he moved from Ukraine to Australia to work as a civil engineer.

The Jewish Independent

Reuven Morrison

Reuven Morrison, a member of the Chabad community, was a businessman who emigrated from the Soviet Union as a teenager in the 1970s, and made his home in Bondi, where he “discovered his Jewish identity in Sydney”, Chabad posted. He divided his time between Sydney, where he conducted business, and Melbourne, where he lived with his wife and daughter.

The Jewish Independent

Peter Meagher, in his 60s

Former police officer, rugby union player and photographer Peter Meagher, was loved by all those knew him. Meagher a former player for Randwick rugby club, retired from the NSW Police Force a few years ago, and started a photography business. He was thought to be on assignment at Bondi.

“Peter was working as a freelance photographer at the ill-fated Chanukah event,” Mark Harrison, club general manager wrote in a message to members. “The tragic irony that he spent so long in the dangerous front line as a police officer and was struck down in retirement while taking photos in his passion role is really hard to comprehend.”

The Jewish Independent

Tibor Weitzen, 78

Father and husband Tibor Weitzen was a member of the Chabad synagogue in Bondi, and the Russian Jewish community, and was loved by the children as 'the Lollipop man'. He died while shielding his wife Eva from the gunfire. His wife survived the attack but a family friend he was shielding also lost her life, the Chabad news service Col Live reported. His grandson, Mendy Amzalak, told The Australian he had rushed down to the scene of the shooting to work as a first responder when he came across his grandfather’s body.

The Jewish Independent

Boris Gurman, 69, and Sofia Gurman, 61.

The Gurmans were a married couple, approaching their 35th wedding anniversary approaching in January, and Sofia's 62nd birthday on Wednesday 17th of December. Boris was a retired mechanic, known for his generosity, quiet strength and willingness to lend a hand to anyone in need. Sofia worked at Australia Post and was deeply loved by her colleagues and community. Together, they lived honest, hardworking lives and treated everyone they met with kindness, warmth and respect.

Footage from the attack shows Boris, with Sofia by his side, courageously attempting to disarm an attacker in an effort to protect others. Their family says this final act encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were - people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others.

The Jewish Independent

Edith Brutman, 68

Edith Brutman was a beloved mother, grandmother and community volunteer. She was vice-president of the New South Wales branch of international B'nai B'rith. Other members describe her as a "gracious woman and a devoted member" of the group. "She was a very clever lady, and she was very, very passionate about dealing with prejudice and discrimination. She was always there, and she had very strong opinions," a fellow officer at B'nai B'rith, Ernie Friedlander, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

The Jewish Independent

Boris Tetleroyd, 68

Borris Tetleroyd was a loved husband and father, who was at the Chanukah event with his son. His son is in hospital recovering from injuries sustained in the attack. He was the primary provider for his family .

The Jewish Independent

Adam Smyth, 50

Adam Smyth was husband to Katrina and father of four. His loves in life were his English Premier League football team Liverpool, his AFL team the Sydney Swans, the NRL’s Manly Sea Eagles and his beloved pets.

The Jewish Independent

Tantia Tretiak, 68

Tania Tretiak was a grandmother and Sydney resident

You might also like
  • Air traffic stopped to enable tribute to Bondi victim
    Nomi Kaltmann
logomark.67a07ee3
We believe in the free flow of information

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, by using our Creative Commons licence

You might also like

    Tame
    Australia

    Tame apologises – but with little grace

    Deborah Stone 1
    Woman with land and houses behind her
    NewsAustralia

    Australia to increase sanctions against West Bank settlements

    Deborah Stone 2
    Royal Commission final
    Royal CommissionNewsAustralia

    Strategies for cohesion final focus of Royal Commission hearings

    Peter Kohn 1

About the author

The Jewish Independent

The Jewish Independent

More from the author

EditorialAustralia

Facing a new year with the knowledge life can be better

VideoLifestyle

Neurodivergence and inclusion in the Jcom

PodcastLifestyle

Finding Our Why

EditorialAustralia

We must fight Hanson’s regressive monoculturalism

Comments1

  • Avatar of Wendy Kilkelly

    Wendy Kilkelly16 December at 08:26 am

    May Abba Father shine his light on you all. My heart bleeds for you all. I was a nanny many years ago for a Jewish family at Vaucluse. Even though it has been decades I still think of this family often. I have never met a person if the Jewish faith that I could call ‘not nice’. As a Christian, I believe that we are all God’s children and pray for peace and unity. God bless!