A crowd of 1,500 mourners gathered at the Sydney Opera House on Thursday evening for a national day of mourning, honouring the 15 victims of the Bondi terror attack. At 7.01pm, a minute's silence fell across the venue, with television stations pausing coverage and gatherings standing still, six weeks after the worst terror attack on Australian soil.
The service, themed 'Light Will Win', featured the lighting of 15 candles by family members and survivors. Among them were Larisa Kleytman, whose husband Alex survived the Holocaust before being killed at age 87, and Valentyna Poltavchencko, whose 10-year-old daughter Matilda was the youngest victim. Ahmed al-Ahmed, who helped disarm one of the gunmen, lit a candle for Sofia Gurman, whose husband Boris died alongside her.
In a surprise appearance, 20-year-old pianist Leibel Lazaroff, a survivor of the shooting, performed just hours after being discharged from hospital. The event was marked by heavy security, with armed police, snipers on the Opera House roof, and helicopters overhead, underscoring Sydney's continued high alert.
Outside, Orthodox Jewish mourners offered tefillin to others, while a separate gathering at Bondi Pavilion saw mourners place stones of remembrance, adhering to Jewish tradition. Australians have been urged to perform 'mitzvah'—small acts of kindness—in their mourning, such as cooking for strangers or helping neighbours.
Senior Rabbi Yehoram Ulman, who lost his son-in-law in the attack, said: 'The Jewish response to violence and to tragedy is not to pull away from society, but to contribute more to it, to heal it.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who faced backlash over his initial response, apologised at the service, saying: 'We cherish the promise that this country is a safe harbour. But sadly, that promise was broken.'
