In a moment of profound and heartbreaking tribute, the parents of the youngest victim of the Bondi massacre were seen dancing together at a candlelight vigil on Sunday night. The event marked one week since a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration claimed 15 lives and injured dozens more.
A Nation Pauses in Silent Reflection
Across Australia, millions observed a minute of silence at 6.47pm, the exact moment police first received emergency calls a week earlier. The main gathering at Bondi Beach, estimated at 15,000 people, stood in solemn unity. Michelle Goldman, chief executive of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, lit the first candle to begin the vigil, after which the silence was broken by Australian Jewish musician Ben Adler's performance of the national anthem.
Among the massive crowd were the grieving parents of 10-year-old Matilda. The young girl had been at a Jewish festival celebrating the first night of Hanukkah near the Bondi Beach Pavilion on December 14. She had just had her face painted and was playing with farm animals at a petting zoo with her six-year-old sister when the shooting began. Alleged gunman Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid Akram, are accused of carrying out the attack.
Tragically, Matilda was shot in front of her little sister. Despite being rushed to hospital, she could not be saved.
Waltzing Matilda: A Song of Sorrow and Love
One of the most poignant moments of the remembrance event was a performance by singer David Campbell. As a montage showed images of the 15 victims and the sea of flowers left at the scene, Campbell sang Waltzing Matilda.
Upon hearing the song bearing their daughter's name, Matilda's parents held each other and danced, surrounded by thousands sharing in their grief. In a further personal tribute, Matilda's father wore a kippah decorated with bee stripes, honouring his daughter's middle name.
The emotional performance resonated deeply, with dozens of Australians taking to social media to express their feelings. One person wrote it was a 'very touching tribute', while another stated it gave them 'chills'.
Remembering the Fifteen Lives Lost
The vigil served as a national Day of Reflection for all the victims of the atrocity. The fifteen people who lost their lives were:
- Boris and Sofia Gurman
- Rabbi Eli Schlanger
- Edith Brutman
- Adam Smyth
- Boris Tetleroyd
- Marika Pogany
- 10-year-old Matilda
- Peter Meagher
- Dan Elkayam
- Reuven Morrison
- Tibor Weitzen
- Alexander Kleytman
- Rabbi Yaakov Levitan
- Tania Tretiak
The gathering at Bondi Beach, a place normally associated with leisure and joy, was transformed into a sacred space of collective mourning and resilience, demonstrating a community's strength in the face of unspeakable loss.
