Man Survived ‘Unspeakable Terror of Holocaust’ Killed in Bondi Beach Shooting

The oldest person killed in the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, has been identified as 87-year-old Alex Kleytman, whose family says he survived the Holocaust.

The attack — described by officials as Australia’s worst mass shooting in three decades — left 15 people dead and several others injured. Local authorities said the victims ranged in age from 10 to 87.

Kleytman’s wife, Larisa Kleytman, told The Australian that her husband died while trying to protect her.

“We were standing and suddenly came the ‘boom boom’, and everybody fell down,” she said. “At this moment he was behind me and at one moment he decided to go close to me. He pushed his body up because he wanted to stay near me.”

“His body is still there and I am sitting there and don’t know what I have to do,” she added.

Both Alex and Larisa survived “the unspeakable terror of the Holocaust” before later moving to Australia from Ukraine, according to JewishCare’s 2023 annual report. The report described their resilience as “a testament to the enduring nature of the human spirit,” and noted that Alex’s recollections included “dreadful conditions in Siberia,” where he, his mother, and younger brother struggled to survive.

Authorities allege that Naveed Akram, 24, and his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram, carried out the shooting. Australia’s Prime Minister called it “an act of pure evil, an act of terror and an act of antisemitism,” per CNN. Sajid Akram died at the scene, while Naveed Akram was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

The youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda Poltavchenko, is being remembered by her teacher as a “bright, joyful, and spirited child who brought light to everyone around her.” A GoFundMe has been set up to assist her family.

In the wake of the killings, members of Australia’s Jewish community have described deep grief and fear. “It’s not random,” Jillian Segal, Australia’s special envoy on antisemitism, said following the attack, per The New York Times. “It is an attack on the Jews of Australia. It’s an attack on Australia as well.”