They named their daughter Matilda, as she was the first of their children to be born in Australia.
The family had arrived here from Ukraine before the Russian invasion. Matilda’s mother, Valentina, was glad her eldest son was “not fighting for his life” in Ukraine.
But she could never imagine she’d lose her 10-year-old daughter, she said during an emotional memorial service on Tuesday at Bondi Beach.
On Sunday, Matilda died in hospital, still wearing the yellow dress she had worn to attend a celebration at Bondi for the first night of Hanukkah. She was the youngest of the 15 victims murdered.
Valentina broke down in front of the Bondi Pavilion memorial on Tuesday, and said she could not comprehend the actions of the gunmen.
“I can’t imagine what a monster that stands on that bridge is, and seeing a little girl running for her father to hide with him, and he just pulled the trigger on her,” she said. “It wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t just a bullet, fired from a hill.
Matilda’s father, Michael, said through tears that, “it wasn’t just a bullet from a stray, it wasn’t an accident. It was a bullet that was fired on her.”
“We came here from the Ukraine … I named her Matilda because she was our firstborn in Australia. And I thought that Matilda was the most Australian name that could ever exist.
“So just remember… remember her name.”
He said he wanted everyone to know “what a beautiful person she was”.
Valentina told ITV News that her daughter was “full of life” and “my sunshine”. She said she was happily running around, and then she was gone.
Matilda’s grandmother also spoke at the vigil. She said, “Our little, bright girl should have gone this way. It’s unbelievable.”
Matilda was celebrating Hanukkah with her six-year-old sister, parents and friends. She had just had her face painted before the attack started, and had been playing with her sister and petting farm animals on the beach.
The victims of Sunday’s attack include a Holocaust survivor, faith leaders, and heroes who tried to stop the attack.
We know at least four women and girls were killed, including Matilda and Marika Pogany, the eldest woman killed at 82.
Marika lost almost all of her family in the Holocaust. She was a dedicated volunteer, delivering more than 1500 meals during her 29 years providing kosher meals on wheels.
Edith Brutman was 68 and the vice president of an anti-discrimination committee at B’nai B’rith NSW.
Sofia Gurman was 61. She was killed alongside her husband, Boris, as they attempted to halt the attacker. She worked at Australa Post and was devoted to her family. She would have turned 62 today, the 17th December.
Another 38 people were wounded during the attack, with 20 still in hospital today.