The family of 10-year-old Matilda, the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney, has urged the community not to let her death become a source of hatred, as they bid her a final farewell on Thursday.
Matilda was among 15 people killed when two gunmen opened fire at an event marking the start of Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on Sunday. The attack, which targeted the Jewish community, has been described by authorities as a terrorist incident and is the deadliest mass shooting in Australia since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Speaking to the BBC at Matilda’s funeral, her aunt Lina Chernykh said that while the Jewish community’s call for stronger action against antisemitism is justified, her niece’s memory should inspire love rather than anger.
“Take your anger and just spread happiness and love and memory for my lovely niece,” Ms Chernykh said. “I hope maybe she’s an angel now. Maybe she will send some good vibes to the world.”
Family members described Matilda as a joyful child who spread warmth everywhere she went. Her aunt said Matilda was inseparable from her younger sister, who is now struggling to understand the loss. “She doesn’t have enough tears to cry,” Ms Chernykh said.
The family, who migrated to Australia from Ukraine more than a decade ago seeking safety, said the tragedy has shattered their sense of security. At a flower memorial earlier this week, Matilda’s mother Valentyna said she never imagined losing her daughter in Australia. “I couldn’t imagine I’d lose my daughter here. It’s just a nightmare,” she told mourners.
Ms Chernykh recalled receiving the devastating phone call while gardening at her home on the Gold Coast. “When she said Matilda was shot, I couldn’t understand it,” she said. “How could someone in Australia hear that their child was shot?”
Australian police have charged the attack as terrorism, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying it appears to have been motivated by Islamic State ideology. Authorities allege the attackers were a father and son. The father, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead at the scene, while his son Naveed, 24, has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act.
As the nation mourns, Matilda’s family has called on Australians to honour her memory by choosing compassion over hatred, saying that the love she shared in life should not be overshadowed by violence in death.