The city of Sydney is cloaked in grief as it bids farewell to the youngest victim of the devastating Bondi Beach terror attack. Mourners have been paying heartfelt tribute to 10-year-old Matilda and the 14 other lives lost, with her name and symbolic images of bees appearing across the eastern suburbs.
A Nation Grieves for 'Bee'
To the world, she was the youngest victim of Australia's deadliest terrorist attack. But to her father, she was simply "Bee" – her middle name and the symbol he has asked a mourning nation to remember her by. Across Sydney's eastern suburbs, the community has heeded his call. The sprawling floral memorial at Bondi Pavilion is now filled with tributes featuring bees: plush toys nestled among lilies, illustrations on flickering candles, and cartoon stickers on lapels.
A poignant poster on the pavilion walls reads "Waltzing Matilda", a nod to her Ukrainian parents' decision to give their daughter the most Australian name they could find, symbolising the lucky country they had chosen.
A Funeral Overflowing with Love and Sorrow
At Thursday's funeral service at the Chevra Kadisha funeral home in Woollahra, the bee motif was everywhere. Mourners were handed stickers bearing her name in purple – her favourite colour – above the image of a small, defiant bee. Inside, tearful friends and family remembered a friendly, beautiful, and happy child who loved maths and dreamed of becoming a teacher.
One eulogy recalled how, just a week earlier at her school presentation day, Matilda clutched her best friend's hand in excitement, believing her friend was about to receive an award. Instead, it was Matilda's own name that was called out.
The turnout was so immense that the funeral home could not contain all the mourners, who spilled out into the park at the entrance. Attendees included federal opposition leader Sussan Ley, Coalition frontbencher Julian Leeser, and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns. As the small white coffin was carried out, profound grief flooded into the street, with the family clutching each other and the hearse struggling to move through the crowds.
A Life of Light, Extinguished Too Soon
Rabbi Dovid Slavin, speaking outside the service, emphasised the unique tragedy. "A child who passes away young... is a huge tragedy because they never got the opportunity to live out their lives," he said. He noted that Matilda's parents, Ukrainian immigrants who had hidden their Jewish identity in the Soviet Union, found freedom in Australia, where they could marry in a religious ceremony.
Their joy at Matilda's birth a decade ago led them to gift her a younger sister, Summer. Now, Summer is left in a home that has suddenly gone dark. Rabbi Slavin urged that while Matilda's physical presence is gone, her spirit remains an obligation for the living: to ensure her life is lived on through the actions of those she touched.
A Day of Multiple Funerals
Matilda's funeral was the second at Chevra Kadisha that day. Earlier, mourners had gathered for Alex Kleytman, a man who survived the Holocaust in Ukraine but not Sunday's attack in Australia. Many attendees were preparing to pay respects at a third service for 78-year-old great-grandfather Tibor Weitzen at Chabad of Bondi later that afternoon.
Meanwhile, in Melbourne, a funeral was held for Reuven Morrison. His daughter had identified him as the man seen in widely circulated footage courageously throwing a brick at the gunman. He was remembered as a devout man, masterful with language, and devoted to his family and community. Rabbi Moshe Gutnick hailed his final act of bravery: "Real bravery is when a person is scared... and you nevertheless get up and you lunge forward."
Four more victims of the 14 December attack are scheduled to be buried on Friday: Boris and Sofia Gurman, who lost their lives trying to stop the gunman, Boris Tetleroyd, and Edith Brutman. As a city and a nation mourn, the collective question, as posed by Rabbi Slavin, hangs heavy in the air: "Is this the Australia I want to live in?"
