The relatives of Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi shooting, appealed to the community to not let her passing incite anger as they bid farewell to the 10-year-old on Thursday.
Matilda was one of 15 individuals fatally shot when two assailants opened fire during a celebration marking the beginning of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday.
At Matilda’s memorial, her aunt Lina Chernykh told the BBC that the Jewish community is justified in demanding more measures to combat antisemitism – she shares this sentiment.
However, she emphasized that Matilda was a vibrant child who shared love wherever she traveled, encouraging the community to honor her by doing the same.
“Channel your anger and… just spread joy and love and remembrance for my sweet niece,” Ms Chernykh stated.
“I hope perhaps she’s an angel now, sending positive energy to the world.”
In recent days, leaders of the Jewish community have indicated that the tragedy was a predictable consequence of Australia’s struggle to tackle growing antisemitism.
The incident on Sunday marked the deadliest event in the nation since 1996, when a gunman claimed 35 lives during the Port Arthur massacre.
Those grieving, including Governor General Sam Mostyn and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, filled the Sydney service, wearing bee brooches and stickers as a tribute to the girl who cherished them.
Michael and Valentyna chose their daughter’s name in honor of the song Waltzing Matilda, a tribute to the nation where their Ukrainian family found refuge.
“She’s waltzing with the angels,” Minns remarked while reading a poem dedicated to her memory.
Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, who conducted the service, had to pause to steady himself as he honored Matilda’s brief existence.
“The heartbreaking, entirely cruel, incomprehensible murder of little Matilda affects us as if our own child was taken away,” he expressed.
The memorial reflected on how she embodied beauty, kindness, and righteousness.
“The Jewish … view death as not eternal … it’s not due to naivety,” Rabbi Ulman shared.
“I assure you with complete certainty that the separation from Matilda is not everlasting.”
Yet, he admitted that his words would likely provide scant comfort – a reality he is acutely aware of. A day prior, Rabbi Ulman spoke at the funeral of his own son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who also lost his life in the Bondi attack.
“You provide me with strength at a moment when you urgently need it. I strive to reciprocate,” he said to Matilda’s grieving parents who wept in the front row.
Ms Chernykh previously mentioned that the family was heartbroken.
“I see their faces [and] I’m uncertain if they will ever find happiness again,” she remarked regarding Matilda’s parents.
Matilda’s younger sister, who was “inseparable” from her, is devastated and bewildered, as she expressed. “She doesn’t have enough tears to shed.”
On the same day that the youngest victim of the massacre was interred, the oldest victim’s service occurred too. A memorial for Alex Kleytman – an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor – took place at the same funeral home on Thursday morning.
In a statement, his family conveyed that he died while doing what he cherished most: safeguarding his wife Larisa and celebrating his Jewish identity.
“The two shooters took his life, but his memories, legacy, and writings will illuminate generations ahead,” it stated.
Authorities have classified the assault as a terrorist act, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stating that it seems to have been “driven by the ideology of the Islamic State” group.
Police claim that the two suspects were a father-son duo. Sajid Akram, 50, was killed on the spot, while his son Naveed, 24, has been charged with 59 crimes, which include 15 counts of murder and one for committing a terrorist act.
Australia announced on Thursday its intention to enhance laws to combat hate – including by granting powers to revoke or deny visas based on antisemitism.
