The faces of Bondi: Inside the incredible acts and heartbreaking tributes of the victims of Australia’s worst terror attack

Boris Gurman. Sofia Gurman. Rabbi Eli Schlanger. Dan Elkayam. Matilda. Rabbi Yaakov Levitan. Edith Brutman. Adam Smyth. Boris Tetleroyd. Marika Pogany. Peter Meagher. Alex Kleytman. Tibor Weitzen. Reuven Morrison. Tania Tretiak.

These 15 names will be forever etched in the minds of Australians, as the nation grieves its worst terror attack in history.

In just over 10 minutes of carnage, the alleged gunmen, Sajid and Naveed Akram, unleashed havoc on innocent attendees at Bondi Beach’s Chanukah By The Sea.

It is an event meant to mark the first day of the Jewish festival Hanukkah – or “Festival of Lights” – celebrating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

It is an event deeply significant to the Jewish people, epitomising the hope and triumph of light over darkness. The Akrems’ alleged attack shattered that peace, leaving hundreds of lives irreversibly damaged.

The families of seven victims of Sunday’s fatal Bondi Beach shooting released heartbreaking statements about their loved ones via NSW Police.

Australia’s outpouring of grief and anger has been swift.

Yet in the waves of sorrow, paranoia and discord that have followed, surprising glimmers of hope have emerged in the eulogies to those who have lost their lives – and the incredible acts many performed to save more lives that day.

Boris and Sofia Gurman

Boris, 69, and Sofia, 61, had been married for 34 years, and were due to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary in January.

The couple’s final heroic act before their deaths has been immortalised after dashcam footage captured them attempting to wrestle the gun away from one of the alleged shooters.

In the footage, Mr Gurman can be seen grappling with Sajid Akram, attempting to grab his longarm rifle.

In a statement, the Gurman family revealed they were just two days away from celebrating Sofia’s 62nd birthday.

“(It is) a moment that now feels incredibly hard to comprehend,” the family said in their statement.

“Boris and Sofia were deeply devoted to their family and were well known in their community for their kindness, warmth and willingness to help others.

“Boris was a retired mechanic, and Sofia was working at Australia Post for the past five years.

The funeral of Boris and Sofia Gurman, the hero couple who confronted the Bondi attacker before both were killed, was held at Chevra Kadisha Memorial Hall in Sydney. The couple were among th …

“They lived honest, hardworking lives and treated everyone with care and respect.

“We are devastated by this loss and ask for privacy as we grieve. We are deeply grateful for the love and support shown to our family during this unimaginable time.”

Rabbi Eli Schlanger

Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, had only just welcomed his fifth child into the world when he was killed at Sunday’s event.

At a funeral proceeding at Bondi Synagogue on Wednesday, Rabbi Ritchie Moss remembered his friend as a “one of the purest and most sincere and compassionate people” – whose children were “forever his No. 1”.

The heartbreaking scenes were compounded when Rabbi Schlanger’s family threw themselves on the coffin.

Five children will grow up without a father, but Rabbi Schlanger will forever be remembered as “a great leader among the Jewish people and the Kaddish, a holy martyr who gave his life”.

“Eli is both,” Rabbi Moss told mourners.

“Whatever I say will be such an understatement to what you meant to everyone and to your family and to me, personally,” Rabbi Moss continued during the funeral.

“Eli, from the moment you married Chayale, you became a son to us, as much as she is our daughter, and you became everything to me.”

“Eli was ripped away from us in the midst of what he did best, spreading Yiddishkeit, spreading love and joy and caring for his people with endless self sacrifice in his life and in his death.

“He towered above as one of the highest and holiest souls.

“His loss is massive for the entire Jewish nation, but for our community here the loss is unspeakable.”

Dan Elkayam

At the time of his death, French-Jewish footballer Dan Elkayam was at Bondi Beach, playing football, enjoying a summer day while waiting for the lighting of the Hannukah candles.

As he attempted to run from the alleged gunmen, he was shot in the back.

Mr Elkayam, 27, was only beginning to build his future in Australia, working as an IT engineer while being sponsored by NBCUniversal.

He leaves behind his partner in Australia, as well as his parents, brothers, nieces, and nephews in Paris where he was born and raised.

In a statement, the Elkayam family said he was deeply proud of his community back home in Le Bourget.

“He was murdered because he was Jewish,” the family said.

“Football was one of Dan’s greatest passions. He played at the 2022 Maccabiah Games and for several teams in both France and Australia, including Waverley and Rockdale, and was in the process of signing with Dolls Point.

“Dan loved life – fully and intensely. He travelled the world and was known for his gentle, kind, fun and loving nature, making friends wherever he went.

“Alongside football, he had a deep connection with nature. He was a certified scuba diver and an explorer at heart, always eager to discover new places, cultures, and experiences.

“To say that Dan will be missed is not enough. He was a person who truly wanted to do good in the world, to share his love of life and his sense of adventure with everyone around him.

“It is now our responsibility to carry forward the light that Dan spread. He was surrounded by loved ones from all walks of life and all communities, and in times as dark as these, we all have a duty to continue spreading kindness, compassion, and joy – in his name.”

Matilda

Matilda had her whole life ahead of her.

At just 10 years old, she is the youngest victim of the Bondi massacre.

Matilda’s day was spent the way any young child would have liked to spend it – playing with her sister and enjoying the petting zoo. Then, gunshots rang out.

Her father Michael revealed the horrifying moment his daughter ran towards them before she went down.

“I took my shirt off and stuck it on her wound,” Michael told Sky News Australia.

“I was talking to her. She was in shock telling me ‘it’s hard to breathe’.

“I was holding her saying ‘calm down’.”

Affectionately called “Matilda Bee” by her family, the nickname lived on in touching scenes at her memorial, as mourners wore stickers of a cartoon bee and carried bumblebee balloons.

“It wasn’t just a bullet from a stray, it wasn’t an accident. It was a bullet that was fired on her,” her father said during a public vigil.

Mourners paying their respects at the memorial site for the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack sang popular Australian song Waltzing Matilda in a heartwarming tribute on Friday, December 19. Credit: Ricky Studencki via Storyful

“We came here from Ukraine … and I named her Matilda because she was our firstborn in Australia. And I thought that Matilda was the most Australian name that could ever exist.

“So just remember … remember her name.”

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan

At the time of his death, Rabbi Levitan had been helping one of the organisers of Chanukah By The Sea.

“If something needed to happen in Sydney’s Jewish community, Levitan made it happen. In fact, you’d have a hard time finding a Jewish institution in the city that wasn’t directly impacted by his work,” according to Chabad, the group that organised the event.

Rabbi Levitan served as secretary of the Sydney Beth Din and worked at the BINA Centre and has been remembered as “a beloved community figure” whose “senseless murder has left an irreplaceable void.

“Yaakov was the cornerstone of his family; a devoted husband and father,” a crowd-funding page dedicated to his memory reads.

“We must urgently rally around the Levitan family right now. They have lost their primary source of strength and support, and we issue a desperate plea to provide them with immediate and long-term financial stability to navigate this devastating, hateful act of terror.”

Edith Brutman

Edith Brutman, the vice president of the Jewish community service B’nai B’rith NSW, was the 10th victim to be named following the outpouring of grief from the massacre.

Founded in the US in 1843, B’nai B’rith is the world’s oldest and largest Jewish service group, aiming to unite Jewish people from all over the globe who share in the practice of Tikkun Olam – meaning “repair the world”.

Members of the NSW branch learnt of her death on Tuesday.

“She was a gracious woman and a devoted member of B’nai B’rith NSW,” the organisation said.

“We are all horrified at the tragic events that took place at the Chanukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday night.”

In a statement, Ms Brutman’s family said: “Our beloved Edith was a woman of integrity who chose humanity, every day.”

“She met prejudice with principle, and division with service. Our family mourns her deeply, but we ask that her life, not the senseless violence that took it, be what endures,” they continued.

“We hope her memory calls us as a nation back to decency, courage, and peace.”

Adam Smyth

Adam Smyth – a 50-year-old father-of-four – was walking at Bondi Beach with his wife at the time the shooting erupted.

In a statement, his family said they were “devastated” by his loss.

“Adam and Katrina were walking at Bondi Beach on Sunday evening when they found themselves in the middle of the horrific and devastating attack,” they said.

“We are all trying to come to terms with the senseless shooting, of which Adam was a victim.

“No words can describe the pain of our loss.

“Adam and Katrina were living their best lives together. Their shared love of family and friends, travel and sport – if not always the same team – made their time together truly special.

“Adam’s 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.

“We will forever cherish the time we have had with him. Adam was a generous and kind person who will be dearly missed and is forever irreplaceable. You’ll never walk alone.”

Boris Tetleroyd

Boris Tetleroyd was with his son at the event when he was shot.

His niece Leia Roitour described the family’s “unimaginable” pain following his “sudden and violent” loss.

“He was the primary provider for his wife, who is now facing life as a widow, and the father of a son who was injured in the same attack and is currently recovering in hospital,” she wrote on a fundraiser set up for his family.

More than $100,000 has been raised so far to support his wife and son.

Marika Pogany

Marika Pogany, who came to Australia in 1968 from Czechoslovakia with her son Romy and brother Ivan, became a citizen in 1972.

“She embraced her life as an Aussie from that point on. She was very proud of her country,” her family said in a statement.

“She brought joy and energy into every room and found her greatest happiness surrounded by her adoring family.”

Ms Pogany, 82, was a member of the Sydney COA, a volunteer service for Jewish seniors.

She was also previously awarded the Jewish Communal Appeal’s Mensch Award for delivering more than 12,000 kosher Meals on Wheels.

Sydney COA described her as a “truly remarkable and wonderful woman”, adding they were “shattered” by her death.

“For 29 years, she arrived at COA with her quiet smile and her steady kindness,” they said.

“She lifted the room simply by being in it. She asked for nothing and gave everything.

“She showed us what true service looks like, and she did it without fanfare and without ever wanting attention.”

They said she contributed thousands of hours “because caring was who she was”.

“Marika showed us how people should be cared for … she never let anyone feel alone,” they said.

“She took the time to know every person on her route. She chatted. She listened. She noticed the small things.

“She changed light bulbs, literally bringing light into people’s homes. Her joy and spirit carried people through their week and through their loneliness.”

Ms Pogany was also a 20-year member of the Harbourview Bridge Club in Rose Bay.

Peter Meagher

Retired police detective sergeant Peter Meagher, 61, was working as a freelance photographer at the event when he was killed.

“Marzo” was the grandson of Wallabies hall of fame member Wally Meagher, and served as Randwick’s first grade team manager from 2018.

Mr Meagher, who was named the club’s volunteer of the year in 2020, was remembered as a “much loved figure and absolute legend” of the club.

“(He had) decades of voluntary involvement, he was one of the heart and soul figures of Randwick Rugby,” the club said in a statement.

“For much of the last decade, Marzo has been our trusted first grade manager and this news has already hit our players, coaches, managers, volunteers and supporters extremely hard.”

Mr Meagher was remembered by his family as a “cherished” brother, husband and uncle whose “kindness, generosity and love touched everyone” who knew him.

“Our lives have been changed forever,” the family said in a statement.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of support from friends and the community.

“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 for us to comprehend.”

Alex Kleytman

Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman was the oldest victim, and had moved to Australia from Ukraine.

The 87-year-old shielded his wife Larisa from the bullets.

“Today in the middle of the celebrations (there were) shots and unfortunately my husband was killed,” she told reporters.

“We were standing and suddenly came the ‘boom’, and everybody fell down.

“At this moment he was behind me and at one moment he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me.”

Mr Kleytman had two children and 11 grandchildren.

In a statement from his family, he was described as “a fascinating person of many talents and unwavering spirit”.

Mr Kleytman survived World War Two in Siberia with his mother and younger brother, which left him with “a lifetime of extraordinary stories of resilience, survival, and unexpected luck”, the family said.

He worked as a civil engineer in Australia and when he retired he became a writer about the lives of Jewish people in the Soviet Union.

Tibor Weitzen

Great-grandfather Tibor Weitzen has been remembered as a hero after he died trying to shield a family friend from gunfire.

The 78-year-old was a member of the Bondi Chabad Synagogue.

His grandson, a first responder, found his grandfather’s body.

“I was one of the first responders. My family were there for the event and my wife called me, so I ran down to the beach with my defibrillator and the shooting was still going,” Mendy Amzalak told The Australian.

“I started treating people and then I came across his body.”

Reuven Morrison

When the shooting began, Reuven Morrison bravely sprang into action.

He stood directly in the line of fire from the alleged gunmen to distract them from the shooting – helping to save innocent bystanders.

After Sajid Akram was disarmed by heroic tobacconist Ahmed Al Ahmed, Mr Morrison was captured on camera hurling a brick at the retreating Sajid.

Moments later, he was shot.

In a tear-jerking tribute, Mr Morrison’s daughter Sheina Gutnick said her father died protecting his community.

“He did not cower. He did not lay low. He sprang to action. To fight. He was a man bigger than life itself. No boundary was uncrossable,” she said.

The moment Bondi shooting victim Reuven Morrison confronted one of the shooters moments before he was killed has been described as ‘courage in its purest form’.

“Impossible was not a word in his mind. He put others before himself. It cost him his life. Ripped from his wife, daughter, son-in-law, and dear grandchildren. Leaving a gaping, heaving wound of sorrow.”

She said Mr Morrison left a “quiet impact on the world” and remembered his “heart of gold”.

Tania Tretiak

Randwick mother Tania Tretiak was named as the final victim on Friday morning.

She was shot attending Sunday’s event with her husband – who is understood to be Jewish.