In a moment of unimaginable grief, the parents of 10-year-old Matilda—the youngest victim of the December 14, 2025, terror attack at Bondi Beach—have opened up about the final moments they spent with their daughter. Speaking publicly at a vigil and memorial events, Michael and Valentyna (also referred to as Valya) recounted the chaos that unfolded during a joyful Hanukkah celebration, initially mistaking gunshots for fireworks, before desperately trying to save their little girl as she lay wounded.
“I saw her go down and I crawled to her and took my shirt off and wrapped it around her,” Michael told mourners at a vigil on Bondi Beach on December 16. “She was telling me it was hard to breathe. I was holding her.” His words, delivered amid tears, captured the raw desperation of a father shielding his child in the face of unspeakable violence. Valentyna added through sobs: “Like she’s running around happy and then… what I see before my eyes is she’s lying on the ground.” She later expressed disbelief, saying, “I couldn’t imagine I would lose my daughter here.”
Matilda, whose full name has been reported in some outlets as Matilda Poltavchenko or Matilda Britvan but often withheld at the family’s request, was attending the “Chanukah by the Sea” event with her parents, younger sister, and friends. The family, originally from Ukraine, had chosen the name Matilda as a tribute to Australia—the country that offered them safety and a new life. “We gave her the most Australian name ever,” Michael said, referencing the iconic folk song Waltzing Matilda. Described by her language teacher as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her,” Matilda loved bees (mourners at her funeral wore bee stickers and brooches in her honor), animals, and school. She was inseparable from her younger sister, who is now grappling with profound loss.
The attack occurred on the first night of Hanukkah, Sunday evening, when father-and-son gunmen Sajid Akram, 50, and Naveed Akram, 24, allegedly opened fire on the crowd gathered in Archer Park near Bondi Beach. Armed with military-grade weapons, the pair fired dozens of rounds from a pedestrian footbridge, killing 15 people (with reports varying slightly between 15 and 16, including one gunman shot by police) and injuring over 40 others. New South Wales Police have classified it as a targeted act of terrorism against the Jewish community, the deadliest antisemitic attack in Australia’s history and the worst mass shooting since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
Matilda was enjoying a petting zoo and festivities when the shooting began around 6:40 p.m. Bystanders, including off-duty surf lifesavers, rushed to aid victims amid the gunfire. Despite frantic efforts by first responders—a paramedic, doctors, and police—who Michael thanked for “doing everything, everything” to save her—Matilda succumbed to her injuries overnight at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick.
Her funeral on December 18 drew hundreds of mourners to a Jewish memorial center in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Attendees, including high-profile figures like Governor-General Sam Mostyn and NSW Premier Chris Minns, honored the girl who spread joy wherever she went. Rabbis and family members urged the crowd to “remember her name” and find positivity amid the pain, while emphasizing that Matilda’s death should not fuel further hate.
Matilda’s aunt, Lina Chernykh, spoke to the BBC about the family’s devastation: “I look at their faces [and] I don’t know if they will be ever happy again.” She described Matilda’s younger sister as “shattered and confused,” adding, “She doesn’t have enough tears to cry.” The family has received widespread support, including a GoFundMe organized by Matilda’s former teacher at Harmony Russian School of Sydney.
The broader tragedy has claimed victims from diverse backgrounds: rabbis like Eli Schlanger (assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, father of young children) and Yaakov Levitan; Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, 87; retired police officer and photographer Peter Meagher; French engineer Dan Elkayam; community volunteer Marika Pogany; and others including Tibor Weitzen, who died shielding his wife, and Reuven Morrison. Acts of heroism emerged amid the horror—a pregnant woman shielding a stranger’s child, a Syrian-Australian bystander tackling a gunman, and couples confronting the attackers.
In response, Australian leaders have pledged action. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans to strengthen national gun laws, while families of victims—including Matilda’s and Alex Kleytman’s—signed an open letter demanding a royal commission into rising antisemitism since October 2023 and alleged failures in intelligence and policy. Opposition figures have called for parliament to be recalled to address hate crimes.
As of December 31, 2025, Naveed Akram remains in hospital under police guard after being shot; his father was killed by police. Investigations continue, including into the pair’s trip to the Philippines in November 2025.
Matilda’s story has become a focal point of national mourning, symbolizing innocence lost to hate. Her parents’ courage in sharing their pain serves as a plea for remembrance, unity, and change. In Michael’s words at the vigil, thanking those who tried to help: “Doctors, a paramedic, and a policeman were doing everything they could.” Yet the void remains—a vibrant 10-year-old girl, full of light, taken too soon.
This tragedy reminds Australia of the fragility of peace and the urgent need to combat extremism. The community vows to honor Matilda and all victims by fostering the compassion and joy they embodied.
