Holocaust survivors, rabbis, a child: Who are the 12 known victims of Bondi Beach terror attack?

"My dear cousin, Rabbi Eli Schlanger @bondirabbi was murdered in today's terrorist attack in Sydney," his cousin, Rabbi Zalman Lewis, wrote on Instagram. "He leaves behind his wife and young children, as well as my uncle and aunt & siblings … He was truly an incredible guy". His youngest child was just over a month old.

"He was the most godly, humane, kind, gracious human being I think I've ever met," Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told reporters at Bondi on Monday morning.

Just a few weeks ago, Rabbi Schlanger wrote a letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asking him "not to betray the Jewish people and not God Himself."

“We were standing and suddenly came the ‘boom boom’, and everybody fell down," Larisa told The Australian. "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."

The couple told the Australian Jewish charity JewishCare in 2023 that they both survived the Holocaust as children. Alex was sent to 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," said the charity. "They later made the move to Australia, immigrating from Ukraine.”

“I have no husband. I don’t know … nobody can give me any answers,” Larisa said on Monday.

Dan Elkayam, 27, immigrated to Sydney from France in 2024 for work and lived with his girlfriend in the eastern suburbs. He reportedly died while trying to protect a 12-year-old girl from bullets.

Elkayam was a Football St George PL1 Association Player at Rockdale Ilinden Football Club's premier league squad. The club eulogized him as having a "smiling face and respectful nature," adding that he will be sorely missed by his teammates and everyone who knew him.

A former coworker said he was a "hard worker, a funny guy, and generally made work more pleasant in his presence. Everyone who knew him loved him."

Matilda's sister, who was with her when she was shot, is struggling to come to terms with the loss, her aunt told ABC.

"They were like twins, they've never been separated," she said.

Blacktown City Judo Club sent its condolences to her parents, Michael and Valie Britvan. "Matilda was not just a young, vibrant, and energetic girl, but she was also a Judoka," said the club. "It was a tragic loss to her family and to our Judo community."

Her former teacher Irina Goodhew, who launched a GoFundMe for her family members, described her as a "bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her."

Reuven Morrison, 62, emigrated to Australia from the former Soviet Union.

Footage from the attack showed Morrison running at the attacker and distracting him, allowing Ahmad El Ahmad to reach the terrorist and disarm him.

According to a Chabad statement, Reuven discovered his Jewish identity in Sydney. Despite later moving to Melbourne with his wife and daughter, he continued to do business in Sydney and remained deeply connected to it. His main goal was to give away his earnings to charities dear to his heart, notably Chabad of Bondi, which organized the event.

When interviewed about rising antisemitism by Australian media in 2024, Morrison said he “knows what it is like to be persecuted.”

"We came here with the view that Australia is the safest country in the world and the Jews would not be faced with such antisemitism in the future, where we can bring up our kids in a safe environment.”

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan was the second Chabad emissary to die from wounds sustained during the terror attack. He worked as the secretary of the Sydney Beth Din religious court, as well as at the BINA Center, a Jewish educational institution in Sydney.

Rabbi Levitan was originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, and held a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management from the University of South Africa before later becoming a Rabbi at the Mayanot Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.

His cousin called the news "heartbreaking."

Peter Meagher, also known as Marzo, was a long-standing friend of the Jewish community and worked as a freelance photographer for many Chabad events. He was at the ceremony on Sunday in this capacity.

Prior to that, he spent 40 years as a detective sergeant with the NSW police.

His rugby club said that Peter was “a much-loved figure and absolute legend in our club, with decades of voluntary involvement, he was one of the heart and soul figures of Randwick Rugby.”

"The tragic irony is that he spent so long in the dangerous front line as a police officer and was struck down in retirement while taking photos in his passion role is really hard to comprehend," the club said.

Tibor Weitzen - Tibor Weitzen, 78, was a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and a prominent member of the local Jewish community and Chabad. He was known for handing out sweets to children who attended services.

He was at the Hanukkah event with his wife and grandchildren and died shielding a family friend who also lost her life.

His granddaughter Leor told 9News her family is "shattered" by his death.

"Just devastating. Honestly, I've got no words," she said.

Marika Pogany, 82, was a mother, grandmother, and Holocaust survivor. In 2019, Marika was given the Jewish Communal Appeal’s “Mensch Award” for delivering more than 12,000 kosher “Meals on Wheels” over more than 20 years.

The Jewish community of Komárno, in present-day Slovakia, wrote on Facebook that Marika attended a Holocaust memorial event with the community every year.

COA Sydney - a Jewish senior organization - said Marika was "not just a long-serving volunteer" but "the beating heart of COA and a source of warmth for thousands of people over nearly 3 decades."

"For 29 years, she arrived at COA with her quiet smile and her steady kindness. 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."

She was described as "an energetic and cheerful woman, full of life" and "loved by many" by her friends on Facebook.

Married for 34 years, Boris and Sofia Gurman were murdered while confronting one of the gunmen in the early stages of the attack.

“An elderly man by the roadside did not run away - instead, he charged straight toward the danger, using all his strength trying to wrestle away the gun and fighting to the death,” the woman who shared the footage of the Gurmans's final moments said.

"Boris and Sofia were devoted to their family and to each other. They were the heart of our family, and their absence has left an immeasurable void," the family said in a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Local media named Edith Brutman as one of the victims on Monday evening.

Brutman was vice-president of the New South Wales branch of the group B'nai B'rith.

"She was a very clever lady, and she was very, very passionate about dealing with prejudice and discrimination. She was always there, and she had very strong opinions," Ernie Friedlander, a fellow officer at B'nai B'rith, told the Sydney Morning Herald.