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Hundreds of mourners holding bright bouquets and clutching each other in grief at a funeral sydney Thursday for a 10-year-old girl who was shot in an anti-Semitic massacre during Hanukkah celebrations. bondi beach,
Matilda, whose last name is being withheld at the request of her family, was enjoying a petting zoo at the festival on Sunday, just before she was killed along with 14 other people in a mass shooting. jewsThe suspects, father and son, were inspired by Isis Group, Australian Officials have said.
Matilda’s glowing photos have become the focus of people’s attention AustraliaSaddened by one of the worst hate attacks the country has ever seen. The massacre sparked a national discussion about antisemitism and raised questions about whether the country’s leaders took the threat to Australia seriously. jews,
As the ceremony began, the girl’s mother was surrounded by supporters, while mourners paid tribute to the child who “loved the outdoors and animals”.
A large plush bumblebee was placed atop the casket, and attendees wore matching bee stickers in recognition of her middle name, Bee.
NSW Premier Chris Minns was asked to read a poem during the service. Reading the verses he said, “She’s walking with angels.”
Attendees also included Governor-General Sam Mostyn, federal Opposition Leader Susan Leigh, NSW Opposition Leader Kelly Sloane and federal Labor Minister Tanya Plibersek.,
Matilda’s parents, who came in Australia From ukraine“Goed away from the war-torn area Eastern Europe Come here for the good life,” Rabbi Dovid Slavin told The Associated Press as he entered the service.
“They did something that’s OK for a parent to do, take their child to a family event bondi beach,” he said. “If it ends up like this, it’s a collective responsibility for every adult in this country.”
At the funeral, the rabbi read a tribute on behalf of the 10-year-old’s school teachers, who described him as “our little ray of sunshine”.
Matilda, who was very happy to win the National Literacy Award Two A few days before she died, her school’s obituary said, “She had an incredible gift for bringing joy to those around her”.
As soon as the coffin was taken out of the hall, there was mourning. All around the mourners, bumblebee balloons bobbed in the afternoon breeze.
Mourners and journalists alike were given stickers featuring a smiling cartoon bumblebee holding a menorah. Matilda’s name was printed above the image in purple, her favorite color.
“I don’t want to seem selfish,” Rabbi Slavin said. “But I and many other people are thinking, this could have been my baby.”
A sign inside the Bondi Pavilion bearing the words “Waltzing Matilda” served as a poignant reference to her Ukrainian parents, who chose what they believed was the most uniquely Australian name.
But sydneyAt the Chevra Kadisha funeral home in Woollahra, bereaved attendees spoke through tears of a friendly, happy child.
She said she likes math and dreams of becoming a teacher. One speaker recalled a moment at her school’s year-end presentation just a week earlier, when she squeezed her best friend’s hand and reassured her that the award was for her. A few moments later, Matilda’s name was announced.
As Matilda’s coffin was brought out, grief poured out onto the street which was filled with hundreds of mourners. Her family members were surrounded by the gathered crowd while the hearse stood still, holding each other and crying.
“A child who dies even at an early age because of illness is an enormous tragedy because they never had the opportunity to live their life and become who they were, who they could have been,” Rabbi Slavin said.
“Matilda’s only crime was to try to come to one of the most iconic venues in this country, and probably around the world, for an event that was not some kind of extreme sport, but it is a family reunion in the most pristine, beautiful, loving, inclusive way, and to have it end this way – heartbreaking, family, beyond words,” he said.
Rabbi Slavin described how Matilda’s parents, Valentina and Michael, were forced to hide their Jewish identity while living under the Soviet Union. Later both left ukraineValentina arrived with her young son and spent four years in Melbourne before moving to Sydney, where she met Michael.
“We see things we can touch, feel, weigh, but there’s a lot more that’s invisible,” he said. “And the soul is here and lives here and will never be taken away. It becomes the responsibility of each of us who were touched by Matilda, how we can allow her life to be lived and not allow those who robbed her to.”
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Matilda’s aunt Lena Chernykh remembered her as a happy-go-lucky child who spread love wherever she went. He told those present: “Calm your anger and… spread happiness, love and memories for my beloved niece.
“I hope maybe she’s an angel now. Maybe she [will] Send some good feelings into the world.”
Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, who led the service, said: “The tragic, so brutal, unfathomable murder of young Matilda is for all of us as if our own daughter had been taken away from us.”
Rabbi Ulman said, “Jews… believe that death is not eternal… It is not because we are naive.”
“I am telling you with full confidence that the separation with Matilda is not forever.”
He told Matilda’s grieving parents: “You give me strength at a time when you need strength yourself. And I try to do the same.”
A day earlier, Rabbi Ulman had addressed mourners at the funeral of his son-in-law, Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was among those killed. bondi beach attack.
Earlier, Ms. Chernykh said that Matilda’s youngest sister did not have enough tears to cry. She told the BBC that she did not believe Matilda’s parents would ever recover from their grief: “I look at their faces [and] I don’t know if they’ll ever be happy again.”
Prime Minister on Thursday… Anthony Albanese He unveiled a series of legislative plans he said would curb radicalism and hatred.
His proposals included measures to broaden the definition of hate speech crimes for preachers and leaders who incite violence, strengthen penalties for such crimes, designate certain groups as hateful, and allow judges to consider hatred as an aggravating factor in online threats and harassment cases.
(Additional input from agencies)