New footage emerged Tuesday from the opening moments of the antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, revealing that before the two terrorists began the shooting spree that killed 15 people at a Chanukah celebration near Bondi Beach, an elderly Jewish couple tried to stop them with their bare hands.
Australian media identified the couple as Boris and Sofia Gurman, Jewish immigrants of Russian origin, who were walking past the scene when they noticed a car bearing an ISIS flag pull to a stop.
According to investigators, the couple confronted Sajid Akram, the 50-year-old attacker, moments after he exited the vehicle. They were later shot and killed at point-blank range, reportedly while holding one another. They were the first victims of the terror attack.
French authorities confirmed Sunday that Dan Elkayam, a 27-year-old French Jewish engineer, was among the killed as well. Elkayam had immigrated to Australia about a year ago and was known to be active in the local Jewish community. His death was confirmed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who condemned the attack in strong terms.
Another victim murdered by the Sydney terrorists on Sunday was identified on Tuesday by Australian media outlets as grandmother Edith Brutman.
She served as the vice president of an anti-prejudice committee in the B’nai Brith organization.
“Former vice president of ADU and long-time member of Aviv, Edith Brutman, was killed in the massacre. She was a gracious woman and a devoted member of B’nai B’rith NSW,” B’nai B’rith says in a statement.
The Australian reported that she “was a beloved member of the Jewish community who had not been attending events regularly due to health issues.”
“But on Sunday she decided to make the trip down to Bondi Beach for the Chanukah By the Sea event where she was struck and killed in the shooting while her friend and fellow victim, Tibor Weitzen, tried to shield her.”
Authorities have confirmed that a 10-year-old girl, named by her family as Matilda, was among the dead as well.
Her parents attended a vigil on Tuesday to honor her and the others killed at Bondi.
The family moved to Australia from Ukraine and Matilda was their first born in the country.
Recalling the deadly attack, the 10-year-old’s mother said the alleged gunman “just pulled his trigger on her… it wasn’t just a bullet from a stray – it wasn’t an accident”.
