Name: Funerals held for Bondi terror attack victims as latest is identified
Uploaded: 2025-12-18T06:21:57.759Z
Duration: 5 min 59 s
Description: Mourners have gathered for the funeral of Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, who was killed in the Bondi terrorist attack. 50-year-old Adam Smyth is the latest victim to be identified.

Mourners have gathered for the funeral of Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, who was killed in the Bondi terrorist attack. 50-year-old Adam Smyth is the latest victim to be identified.

Council of the City of Sydney

Sydney's Jewish community is in mourning following a deadly terrorist attack during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi. Victims included Holocaust survivor Alex Kleitman, Thibault Weitzen, and Adam Smyth, all remembered for their bravery and kindness. Funerals have commenced, with families and community members expressing deep grief and highlighting the ongoing impact of antisemitic violence.

Authorities have reopened the crime scene, and the Australian government has announced financial support for Jewish organisations and increased security. Sixteen people remain hospitalized, and disaster recovery funding has been triggered for the first time in response to a terrorist attack, as the community begins a long healing process.

Funerals held for Bondi terror attack victims as latest is identified

Larissa Kleitman lost the love of her life in the most unfathomable way. Her husband Alex died protecting her as bullets flew on Sunday. He shielded his wife, a dying act of devotion from a man who will always be remembered as a hero. The service was very devastating as you can imagine. His loved ones say it is impossible to accept his death. The 87-year-old survived the Holocaust and the horrors of the Second World War, but decades later in the place he sought safety, he was slaughtered because of his faith. There are no real words that could encapsulate just how abhorrent that is. Alex loved tennis, chess, dancing. His family says he adored his wife with unparalleled passion. He was proud of his heritage and his adopted home of Australia's freedom and democracy. It really did strike me as the cars were driving past, the necessity of this family having to be escorted by police to their father's funeral and their grandfather's funeral because we're Jewish. And that just hit so hard. Agony shared by the family of Thibault Weitzen. The 78-year-old was at the Hanukkah event with his wife and grandchildren. What was a day of celebration and joy marred forever. His murder was one of the most brutal because he was shielding all these people with his body. This man was an elderly man. He deserved to die with dignity whenever that was meant to be, not in the most gruesome, horrific way, purely because he was Jewish. These funerals are just the start of a very long and painful grieving process. Sydney's tight-knit Jewish community bracing for more difficult goodbyes over the coming days. Jewish burials are always very modest. There's not a lot of money spent on elaborate flowers and extravagant coffins. We don't spend money on those things because everyone comes into the world the same and leaves the world the same way. The 14th victim has now been identified, 50-year-old father of four, Adam Smyth. He was walking at Bondi with his wife when he was shot. No words can describe the pain of our loss. We will forever cherish the time we had with him, his family said. Adam was a generous and kind person who will be dearly missed and is forever irreplaceable. Sydney's paramedics among those who tried to save lives on that terrible day. There are big angels and there are small angels. You're the big angels. You're the great angels of God. God bless you and thank you very much. Gratitude from Jewish leaders. Recognising the astonishing work of first responders, many of who will be scarred forever. The stories of kindness and lifting that we have heard will help my people heal and we will use that healing to try and do what we can to better help the community. The scene of Sunday's terror is now open again to the public, but what happened here will never fade, especially for those who were at the Hanukkah celebration. My name's Aris Nostrovsky and I'm a survivor. Those are four words I never thought I'd hear myself saying. Not in Australia, not in a million years. A bullet grazed his head, the fact he's alive, a miracle. The sheer, pure evil, the carnage, the bloodbath perpetrated by these terrorists, which for me evoked the darkest memories of October 7th. Arson says the Premier has called him, so too did the Israeli Prime Minister. The one person that hasn't is Prime Minister El-Benizi. Anger is simmering, but the overwhelming emotion is still just grief. John Paul Gonzo, 10 News. A small sense of normality is now returning to Bondi Beach tonight with the crime scene lifted by police four days on from the tragedy. Let's go live now to Matthew Kastunin, who is there. Matt, what's the mood like right now? Good evening, Sandra. A mixed sense of emotion here. Grief still, but also, of course, a park that represents peace, and for many people who used this park before the attack, it was part of their daily routine. Still trying to comprehend the enormity of what has happened here. Of course, the park was opened today, four days on, following painstaking investigations by police, where, of course, we saw those people celebrating Hanukkah being gunned down in cold blood. There's a bridge behind me as well, where Sajid and Naveed Akram opened fire, also open to the public. Many gathering here today, walking through the park and over the bridge. The one word that we heard from one person, heavy. That is the feeling here. The Prime Minister today also announcing a support package, including $2 million for Jewish community organisations and $1.5 million for extra security at Jewish community locations. You can definitely feel the gravity of what's going on. Is it a bit eerie, a bit, maybe you'd even call it a bit haunting? Well, it's actually quite emotional. Just to see what happened is really unthinkable. The disaster recovery funding arrangements will be triggered in response to the attack. So the Commonwealth and New South Wales will share the financial burden of the recovery. This is the first time that the DRFA has been used for a terrorist attack. Sandra, I'll give you an update now on the conditions of patients. We've got 16 people still in various Sydney hospitals, including one who is critical at St Vincent's and one critical but stable at St George. But of course, a long road to recovery, not just for these victims, but for the wider community here in Bondi. Sandra? Indeed. Alright, Matt.

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