Key points

• Officials have yet to release an official list of those shot dead at Bondi beach on Sunday
• Details of victims have begun emerging on social media and news reports as well as from the website of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement
• All of those identified so far, except one, were Jewish
• The two gunmen targeted an event marking the Jewish festival of Hanukkah

Here's what we know about the victims who have been named so far:

Boris and Sofia Gurman

Boris Gurman, a retired mechanic and his wife Sofia, a postal employee, were shot dead after they confronted one of the attackers.

Dashcam footage from a passing car shows Boris Gurman grappling with the gunman and disarming him at the side of the road. Sofia Gurman stands nearby.

The footage was verified by Australia's national broadcaster ABC.

"In recent days, we have become aware of footage showing Boris, with Sofia by his side, courageously attempting to disarm an attacker in an effort to protect others," local media cited the family as saying in a statement.

"While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness. This encapsulates who Boris and Sofia were — people who instinctively and selflessly tried to help others."

The couple were Russian-Jewish, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Rabbi Eli Schlanger

Schlanger, 41, was assistant rabbi at Chabad Bondi, which put on the Chanukah by the Sea event targeted by the two gunmen. Chanukah is another transliteration of the Hebrew name of the holiday.

Schlanger was born in the United Kingdom but lived in Bondi near the scene of the shooting. He had recently become a father for the fifth time.

"Nothing was too big for him," said his friend Alex Ryvchin, the Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry addressing the media on Monday. "He was the sort of person who illuminated our lives with kindness, his grace and generosity."

 At Hanukah in 2024, Schlager posted a video of himself smiling and dancing at night at the side of a road to the song "Just a Little Bit of Light."

The post is titled "Here's the best response to combat antisemitism."

Marika Pogany

Marika Pogany, originally from southern Slovakia, is being remembered for her charity work and as a long-term volunteer who delivered kosher meals on wheels.

The former Slovakian president Zuzana Caputova called 82-year-old Pogany a close friend.

The Australian city of Sydney was "a refuge" for the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, "far from the horrors of fascism and communism," Caputova wrote on Facebook.

"Apart from her mother and uncle, who returned from Auschwitz, all other members of this family did not survive the Holocaust."

Slovakia's President Peter Pellegrini also confirmed Pogany was among the victim's of what he called "this senseless, violent rampage."

Alex Kleytma

Holocaust survivor and engineer Alex Kleytman was at Chanukah by the Sea with his wife, children and grandchildren.

His wife Larisa said he died trying to protect her from the bullets, according the Chabod Jewish organization.

As a child, Kleytman survived the Nazi Holocaust during World  War II. The 87-year-old emigrated to Australia from Ukraine in the 1990s to escape antisemitism.

Matilda

The youngest victim is ten-year-old Matilda, who died in hospital after being shot.

Just before the shooting, Matilda was playing with animals at a petting zoo at Chanukah by the Sea, which she was attending with her family, including her sister, local media report.

Her aunt Lina Chernykh described the 10-year-old as "happy, bright" girl.

"She'd always kiss me, cuddle me and give me the energy … to be happy," her aunt said.

Peter Meagher

Peter Meagher was a retired police detective and a long-time volunteer at a Randwick Rugby Club.

He was working as a photographer at the Chanukah By the Sea event on Sunday, the club said in a statement.

Meagher was a " much loved figure and absolute legend in our club, with decades of voluntary involvement," the club said.

Dan Elkayam

French national Dan Elkayam was killed in the shootings, French President Emanuel Macron confirmed.

The 27-year-old engineer, who moved to Australia a year ago, played soccer with a local club and lived with his girlfriend in Sydney.

He had been celebrating Hanukkah, and he died trying to intervene between one of the shooters and a girl who later died from her injuries, Chabad reported.

Reuven Morrison

Reuven Morrison fled the former Soviet Union in the 1970s to escape antisemitic persecution, according to his daughter, Sheina Gutnick.

He died trying to protect his community despite being unarmed during Sunday's attack, Gutnick said, naming her father as the man seen in footage hurling an object at the gunman disarmed by Ahmed al Ahmed.

He "managed to throw bricks at the terrorist," Gutnick said in an interview with CBS on Monday.

Morrison, who split his time between Sydney and Melbourne, was a businessman and philanthropist known for his kindness and generosity, according to Chabad.

Tibor Weitzen

A member of Bondi's Chabad Synagogue, Tibor Weitzen left the Soviet Union for Israel, then later emigrated to Australia. He was attending the Chanukah by the Sea with his wife and grandchildren.

The 78-year-old died after shielding his wife and another family friend, Edith Brutman from the gunfire, local media report.

His wife survived. 

Edith Brutman

Edith Brutman is remembered as a woman with a "heart of gold."

She was shot dead at the Hanukkah celebration she was attending with Tibor Weitzen, who was killed while trying to shield her.

"Our beloved Edith was a woman of integrity who chose humanity, every day. She met prejudice with principle, and division with service," her family said in a statement to ABC.

Rabbi Yaakov Levitan

Yaakov Levitan was a vital part of Sydney's Jewish infrastructure known for his kindness and tireless work in assisting others, Chabad said.

Originally from South Africa, the 39-year-old is survived by his wife and four children.

This article was originally published on December 16, 2025. It was updated on December 17 with more information about some of the victims.

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher