‘Maybe she’s an angel now’ says aunt of 10-year-old victim

The family of the Bondi shooting’s youngest victim, Matilda, urged the community not to let her death fuel anger, as they said a final goodbye to the 10-year-old on Thursday.

Matilda was among 15 people who were shot dead when two gunmen opened fire on an event marking the start of Hanukkah at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday.

Speaking to the BBC at Matilda’s funeral, her aunt Lina Chernykh said the Jewish community is right to want more action to stamp out antisemitism – she does too.

But she said Matilda was a joyous child who spread love everywhere she went, and urged the community to do the same in her honour.

“Take your anger and… just spread happiness and love and memory for my lovely niece,” Ms Chernykh said.

“I hope maybe she’s an angel now. Maybe she [will] send some good vibes to the world.”

Jewish community leaders have in recent days suggested the tragedy was an inevitable result of Australia struggling to address rising antisemitism.

The attack on Sunday was the country’s deadliest incident since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people during the Port Arthur massacre.

Mourners – including the Governor General Sam Mostyn and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns – packed out the service in Sydney, wearing bee broaches and stickers as a tribute to the girl who adored them.

Michael and Valentyna had named their daughter after the song Waltzing Matilda, as a tribute to the country where their Ukrainian family found safety.

“She’s waltzing with the angels,” Minns said, reading a poem in her honour.

Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, who led the service, had to pause and collect himself as he paid tribute to Matilda’s short life.

“The tragic, so totally cruel, unfathomable murder of young Matilda is something to all of us as if our own daughter was taken from us,” he said.

The service heard how she had lived with beauty, goodness and righteousness.

“The Jewish … believe that death is not eternal … it is not because we are naïve,” Rabbi Ulman said.

“I’m telling you with absolute conviction that the separation with Matilda is not forever.”

Still, he conceded that his words would likely offer little comfort – something he knows too well. A day earlier, Rabbi Ulman spoke at the funeral of his own son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was also killed in the attack on Bondi.

“You give me strength at a time when you need strength yourselves. And I try to do the same,” he said to Matilda’s parents, who sobbed in the front row.

Ms Chernykh earlier said the family was devastated.

“I look at their faces [and] I don’t know if they will be ever happy again,” she said of Matilda’s parents.

Matilda’s younger sister, from whom she was “inseparable”, is shattered and confused, she said. “She doesn’t have enough tears to cry.”

On the same day the shooting’s youngest victim was laid to rest, its eldest was too. A service for Alexander Kleytman – an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor – was held at the same funeral home on Thursday morning.

In a statement, his family said he died doing what he loved most: protecting his wife Larisa and celebrating his Jewish faith.

“The two gunmen killed him, but his memories, his legacy, and his books will bring light for generations to come,” it read.

Their local Chabad mission later said Alexander had died “shielding” his wife from the gunmen’s bullets.

A 2023 article in JewishCare, a service provider for the elderly, had praised the couple’s “resilience, strength, and adaptability” which “serve as a testament to the enduring nature of the human spirit.”

Both Larisa and Alexander had faced “the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust”, the article said, adding that the couple immigrated to Australia from Ukraine.

“Alex’s memories are particularly harrowing; recalling the dreadful conditions in Siberia where he, along with his mother and younger brother, struggled for survival.

“The scars of the past, however, did not deter them from seeking a brighter future.”

In addition to his wife, he leaves behind two children and 11 grandchildren, Chabad confirmed in a statement.

A funeral is also being held for another victim, 78-year-old Tibor Weitzen.

Police have designated the attack a terrorist incident, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying it appears to have been “motivated by Islamic State” group ideology.

Police allege that the two gunmen were a father and son. Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead at the scene, while his son Naveed, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one of committing a terrorist act.

Two people out of the 16 injured who remain in hospitals are still in critical condition, local authorities said.

Australia on Thursday announced it would strengthen laws to crack down on hate – including by introducing powers to cancel or refuse visas on grounds of antisemitism.