Hundreds of grieving mourners, carrying vivid flowers and supporting one another, filled a Sydney funeral service on Thursday to honour a 10-year-old girl, the youngest victim of a horrific antisemitic massacre at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach.
A Nation's Grief Focuses on Youngest Victim
The child, named Matilda, was among 15 people murdered in a mass shooting that targeted Jewish celebrants this past Sunday. Australian authorities have stated the suspects, a father and son, were inspired by the Islamic State group. Matilda's last name has been withheld at her family's request.
Radiant photographs of the young girl have become a symbol of national sorrow following one of Australia's worst hate-fuelled attacks. The tragedy has forced a painful national conversation about antisemitism and scrutiny of whether threats to the Jewish community were adequately addressed.
Rabbi Dovid Slavin, speaking to The Associated Press, revealed Matilda's parents had immigrated to Australia from Ukraine, seeking a better life away from conflict. "They did something that a parent is OK to do, take their child to a family event at Bondi Beach," he said. "If it ended this way, it's something for collective responsibility for every adult in this country."
Government Response: New Laws and Political Tensions
As Matilda's service began, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking in Canberra, unveiled a suite of legislative proposals aimed at curbing radicalisation and hate speech. The plans include:
- Broadening the definition of hate speech offences for religious leaders and others inciting violence.
- Increasing penalties for hate crimes and allowing judges to consider hate as an aggravating factor.
- Granting officials greater powers to deny or cancel visas for those spreading division.
Albanese did not provide a specific timeline, citing legal complexity. This announcement follows his earlier pledge to tighten Australia's already strict gun controls, with state leaders promising further action on firearms and protests.
However, Albanese's absence from the victims' funerals—reportedly due to a lack of invitation—highlights the anger some in the Jewish community feel towards his leadership. The Prime Minister defended his record, pointing to measures like a ban on Nazi salutes enacted in February.
"I of course acknowledge that more could have been done and I accept my responsibility for the part in that as prime minister of Australia," Albanese stated. "But what I also do is accept my responsibility to lead the nation and unite the nation."
Investigation and a Community in Mourning
Police investigations continue into the suspects' backgrounds and a pre-attack trip to the Philippines. Authorities confirmed the younger suspect, Naveed Akram, 24, was investigated by security services in 2019. His father, Sajid Akram, 50, who was killed during the attack, legally amassed the firearms used, receiving his gun licence in 2023.
Philippine officials stated there was no evidence the pair received attack training during their November stay in Davao city. Naveed Akram remains hospitalised and has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and committing a terrorist act.
Meanwhile, Sydney's close-knit Jewish community endured a heartbreaking series of funerals. Alongside Matilda's, services were held for the attack's oldest victim, 87-year-old Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, who was shot while protecting his wife. Other victims included rabbis and a couple who attempted to tackle a gunman.
At Matilda's funeral, a tribute from her school described her as "our little ray of sunshine," a child who had just won a national literacy prize. The ceremony was marked by bumblebee balloons—a reference to her family nickname, Matilda Bee—and mourners were given stickers of a smiling bee holding a menorah.
As the small coffin was carried out, Rabbi Slavin voiced a haunting thought shared by many parents: "I don't want to sound selfish. But I and many others are thinking, this could have been my child."
