By Scott Murdoch and Christine Chen
Dec 15 (Reuters) - Among the 15 victims of a mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach targeting an event for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah on Sunday were a rabbi who was a father of five, a Holocaust survivor, and a 10-year-old girl, according to interviews, officials and local media reports.
Some 40 people were taken to hospital, including two police and four children. Police say the attack was carried out by a father and son, and their victims' ages ranged from 10 to 87. The 50-year-old alleged gunman was killed by police.
Following are details of those killed:
RABBI ELI SCHLANGER
Schlanger, 41, was assistant rabbi at Chabad Bondi, which put on the event.
Chabad is a global Jewish organisation whose mission is to foster Jewish identity and connection. Schlanger was British-born but had lived in Sydney for the past 18 years, and had recently become a father for the fifth time.
"Nothing was too big for him," said friend Alex Ryvchin, who is also Co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
"He would drive out to regional parts of the state and sit with prisoners in our jails and listen to their stories. He would go to Waterloo and Redfern and to the public housing and sit with the elderly, he would listen to their stories and feed them and make sure they had meals and kosher products. He was the sort of person who illuminated our lives with kindness, his grace and generosity."
Schlanger's brother-in-law, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, said the family was "broken".
"They have fallen apart," Kastel told Reuters. He said that for the rabbi's wife, her best friend's husband was also killed in the shootings.
"They were best friends through school and both lost their husbands here. The rabbi has a baby only a few months old. It's very, very difficult, it's too early to tell how they will be feeling, how it will land, they are in shock."
PETER MEAGHER
A retired policeman and long-time rugby volunteer, Meagher was struck down while working as a freelance photographer at the event, Randwick Rugby Club said in a statement.
"'Marzo' as he was universally known, 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 club said.
"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," it said.
"For him it was simply a catastrophic case of being in the wrong place and at the wrong time."
DAN ELKAYAM
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that French national, Dan Elkayam, was killed in the shootings.
Elkayam, who local media reported was in his late twenties and had gone down to celebrate at the festival, had been providing technical support to global media company NBC Universal in Sydney since last December, according to his LinkedIn page.
He played soccer with the Rockdale Ilinden Football Club premier league squad where he was "an extremely talented and popular figure," the club said on social media.
MATILDA
A primary school student, 10-year-old Matilda, died on Sunday night, her aunt confirmed on social media, according to local media.
She was a former student at Harmony Russian School of Sydney. She has been described as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to those around her", local media reported.
REUVEN MORRISON
According to a report by Chabad, another victim was identified as Reuven Morrison, described as "a member of the Chabad community who divided his time between Melbourne and Sydney".
ALEX KLEYTMAN
Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, 87, attended the event with his wife Larisa, his children and grandchildren, Chabad and local media reported.
The couple were both Holocaust survivors and had recounted their experiences to aged-care provider JewishCare, which referred to Alex’s harrowing memories of the "dreadful conditions in Siberia, where he, along with his mother and younger brother, struggled for survival."
The "scars of the past" did not deter them from seeking a brighter future in Australia, immigrating from Ukraine, the provider wrote in its 2022/2023 annual report.
RABBI YAAKOV LEVITAN
Rabbi Yaakov Levitan served as secretary of the Sydney Jewish religious organisation Beth Din, Chabad said.
TIBOR WEITZEN
Father and husband Tibor Weitzen has been identified as one of the victims after he was fatally wounded while shielding his wife from the gunfire, who survived the attack, the Daily Mail reported.
(Additional reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Saad Sayeed)
