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Four Corners - Season 66 - Episode 01: Bondi: Light Over Darkness (Part 1)
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00:00This program includes graphic and distressing vision of the Bondi terrorism attack.
00:06It also includes coarse language.
00:31It's the worst terror attack in this country's history, a horror that has left Australians
00:40grappling for answers.
00:43Two men armed with weapons and seething with hatred, targeting Jewish Australians.
00:53You could hear it.
00:54You could hear the projectile, and he was just, shoot, reload, shoot, reload.
01:05He's still on the bridge, bro.
01:06Four Corners has pieced together a definitive account of the terror in the words of those
01:12who experienced it and those who lost loved ones.
01:16People were being shot.
01:18People were dying.
01:19If you got up, you would be dead.
01:21I was screaming to her, like, Matilda, Matilda, and she was still conscious, like, and she
01:28was, she could just, just told me that she was hard to breathe.
01:34This isn't about surviving now.
01:37It's about how I'm going to die and how's Shemi going to die.
01:42Amid the horror, those who ran into the gunfire and heroes who protected their loved ones.
01:50He died protecting my mum, being a proud show, lighting the light.
01:59Families of the victims and the friends just need to know that there was people tirelessly
02:04working to save their lives.
02:09How are you bearing up?
02:10Not great.
02:13It's terrific.
02:18On Four Corners, a two-part special series on the massacre that shocked this country.
02:23Next week, the secret lives of the gunmen and the intelligence failures in the lead up to
02:28the attack.
02:28In this episode, we speak to survivors of the slaughter and the families of the victims,
02:34and we explore how Australia is dealing with the scars from that December day.
02:40Had there been more decisive, firm action at the beginning, true leadership, that this
02:45wouldn't have happened.
02:47I want her to be remembered like a light that will overcome darkness.
03:19The sun is starting to dip on another stunning summer's day.
03:23At Australia's most famous beach.
03:33While crowds soak up Bondi's surf and sand, behind the beach at Archer Park, a community
03:40is gathering for the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.
03:45It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, a belief in miracles, a belief that even if
03:53you're small, even if you're the underdog, eventually goodness prevails.
04:10For me, this event was always something to, like, where we go with kids.
04:15They love it, you know.
04:19Since Matilda was born, we went there every year.
04:24Ten-year-old Matilda is the daughter of two Ukrainian Jews, Michael and Valentina, who
04:30came to Australia for a better life.
04:32And when she was born, they named her in honor of this country.
04:38We were thinking of the name and Matilda came to me.
04:44Matilda, it's such an Australian name.
04:48It has, you know, the wealthy Matilda, Matildas.
04:51For me, it was always associated with Australia.
04:55I thought it'd be a great name.
04:59This is the 31st year the lighting of the Hanukkah candles has been held at Archer Park.
05:06Also enjoying the food and festivities is Israeli tourist Kobi Farkash.
05:11Just to feel the Hanukkah.
05:14The Hanukkah celebration has a special emphasis on family.
05:19It was lovely.
05:21We walked in.
05:22It's just a whole bunch of kids, mostly young and old.
05:27So, little, little, little babies.
05:29Real family event.
05:30There was big bubbles blowing.
05:33Donuts.
05:34Hot dogs.
05:36Petting zoo for the kids.
05:38Giant Connect Four.
05:39Take some video of me for a minute and then I'll take...
05:42Among the crowd is event organizer and community leader Rabbi Ellie Schlanger.
05:50Also enjoying the celebrations are Holocaust survivor Alex Kleitman and his wife Larissa.
05:57Hanukkah is one of the beautiful and ancient celebrations of the Jewish culture.
06:04It's just a beautiful tradition to be surrounded by Jewish people or any people
06:12and to celebrate light against darkness.
06:19For annual attendees Reuven and Leah Morrison, Bondi is a special place.
06:26My parents met on Bondi Beach as two Russian teenage refugees.
06:31My mum was 16 and my dad was 17.
06:37For Bondi local Jessica Chapnick Khan, this Hanukkah gathering is something her five-year-old
06:43daughter Shemi refuses to miss.
06:46She dragged me out of heat, dragging me by the arm.
06:49I want to go to the Hanukkah party.
06:51I want to see the Hanukkah party.
06:55We were meant to be there.
06:59For 10-year-old Matilda, one of the highlights is getting her face painted.
07:03She wanted a dolphin and she was so happy.
07:08When they finished, she asked me to take a photo and she asked me to take a photo from
07:13one side and then from another side.
07:16Like, you know, it was so cute and she was really happy.
07:24Documenting the Hanukkah festivities for the Jewish community is police officer turned photographer
07:28Peter Marr.
07:31What do you say as he's heading out the door that day?
07:35I said to him, knowing that a lot of people I knew would be there, give them my love.
07:52But as the Jewish community celebrates by the beach, a darkness is about to descend.
07:59Two men, a father and son, are pulling up on Campbell Parade just metres down the road.
08:0650-year-old Sajid Akram and his son Naveed have driven from their Airbnb in southwestern Sydney
08:12with two shotguns, a rifle, improvised explosive devices and two Islamic State flags.
08:2124-year-old Naveed Akram walks onto the footbridge overlooking Archer Park and opens fire.
08:32The last thing I remember looking at were the bubbles.
08:36It was so beautiful, these bubbles.
08:39It was rainbows, just huge bubbles.
08:42You know, those really big ones, they're really impressive.
08:44And the rainbows were just filling the space.
08:49And I said, show me, look, bubbles.
08:51And that's when I heard the first shot.
08:56My husband had my daughter.
08:57I was in a conversation with friends.
09:00I knew that my son was with his other grandma.
09:03And I went to go look for them.
09:06I heard a couple of very, very loud bangs.
09:11I'm not familiar with the sound of gunfire.
09:13I've never heard it before in my life.
09:18For Israeli tourist Kobi Farkash, who is filming as he flees, it's a narrow escape.
09:25His footage captures 27-year-old French engineer Dan Elkayam also running away right next to him.
09:35What happened to him?
09:37He's shot, he's killed, he's died because of the terror.
09:52Another who's hit in the opening barrage is Yangi Supa, a medical volunteer on duty at the Hanukkah event.
09:59All of a sudden I felt a zap in my body and I just fell to the ground like in
10:04slow motion.
10:05I fell and then everyone starts screaming as people start running.
10:09I think quite quickly I was shot, but at first I was like, what's just happened to me?
10:14And then, yeah, 15 seconds, the gunshots, everyone running.
10:24With Naveed Akram positioned on the footbridge, his father Sajid is being confronted back near their car.
10:32Dash cam footage captures a moment of heroism as 69-year-old Boris Gurman wrestles the gun from Sajid Akram.
10:40Both Boris and his wife Sophia are then shot dead.
10:48Men, women and children run for their lives.
10:52But for many of those celebrating Hanukkah in Archer Park, there's nowhere to run to.
10:57They are pinned down and trapped.
10:59Where's the fucking police, you fucking bastards?
11:05People at the park only remember seeing two police officers on duty.
11:11I thought that it's going to be over in a second.
11:13I thought there will be police or something.
11:17You know, like, OK, this happened.
11:20In my mind, it's going to end in any moment now.
11:27But the shooting just kept happening.
11:31Jessica Rosen is separated from her husband and two children.
11:39Then I saw someone in front of me fall and they were bleeding.
11:45And I understood it was no longer OK for me to be running around.
11:48It was no longer safe.
11:50Caught the sight of a little girl.
11:53She was screaming for her parents.
11:56Didn't have my own kids with me.
11:59But I took maybe five steps towards her.
12:04I grabbed her, ran back to the chairs and lay down behind the chairs.
12:09Covered the little girl with my body and stayed there while the shooting went on.
12:20Jessica Chapnick Khan wants to run to the beach, but it's too far.
12:25So she takes shelter with her daughter, Shemi, behind a low concrete barrier.
12:32My instinct was to cover every inch of her body with my body.
12:38I don't know how I covered her.
12:41And there were other children under my legs and parents screaming.
12:46Children were just losing it and popping their heads up.
12:52And that Shemi lay still flat.
12:57She didn't say a word. She didn't move.
13:03And I did my best to contain the children that were there just with my legs.
13:09The Akrams are on the footbridge as a police car shrieks by.
13:16Sajid Akram then descends the footbridge stairs towards those cowering in Archer Park.
13:26I am pinned down behind several rows of chairs.
13:34I am lying on top of this little girl.
13:38There are two shooters.
13:40One on the footbridge, one pacing around in front of the fencing.
13:46It seemed casually. It seemed like he was smiling.
13:51People were being shot. People were dying.
13:54If you got up, you would be dead.
14:00As Sajid Akram prowls and fires from just metres away,
14:04Jessica Rosen tries to calm the little girl.
14:07I got you. I got you.
14:10I got you. I got you.
14:12I got you. I got you.
14:14I knew that I needed to be calm for myself.
14:17And I knew that I needed to be calm for her.
14:20She asked me what's happening.
14:23She asked me who I was.
14:27She asked me where her mummy and daddy was quite a lot of times.
14:29She said she wanted her mummy, she wanted her daddy.
14:32I told her I understood that and that we were just going to stay here for a little while.
14:37We're going to stay here and we're going to be nice and stay.
14:41No one's going to hurt us.
14:43Can you hide?
14:45Yeah, we can hide.
14:46They can hide, but for some it's no protection from the bullets.
14:50Oh, that guy's got shot. Oh, oh my God.
14:55A woman lying a metre and a half away from me.
14:59She was shot in the head.
15:03I saw her.
15:05Her body must have turned with the impact.
15:08She was not a woman anymore.
15:11She was a body.
15:13Could have been me.
15:15We couldn't move.
15:16We needed to stay where we were.
15:19I tried to...
15:21I was lying on top of the little girl trying to shield her fuse.
15:24I really hoped she didn't see.
15:26Get down!
15:28Get on the ground!
15:30Another parent at the Hanukkah event is Leon,
15:33who threw himself on his youngest daughter when the shooting started.
15:38I had a few of the bullets, particularly from...
15:42The gunman up on the bridge fly just past my head.
15:49You could hear it.
15:51You could hear the projectile.
15:53Also, the other gunman, the older gunman,
15:56he was just...
16:00Shoot.
16:02Reload.
16:03Shoot. Reload.
16:07Wounded and on the ground,
16:08medical volunteer Yankee Super is in serious trouble.
16:14The bullet went in my back and missed my spine by about two centimetres.
16:19But the shrapnel collapsed my right lung.
16:24Straight away blood started pouring out of my nose and mouth.
16:29And it became difficult to breathe and very difficult to talk as well.
16:32At that point I grabbed my radio.
16:35I see the breath.
16:36All right, time four, where are you bleeding from?
16:38Where are you bleeding from?
16:40Distressed and breathless, Yankee makes an emergency call.
16:4423, you need to calm down and try to stop the bleeding.
16:47I can't breathe.
16:48I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe.
17:02And then I realised, Oh my God...
17:04My God...
17:07They're body parts.
17:09Before that, I'd been like praying and kind of, you know, wanting to survive and that...
17:15When that spray came over, I realised,
17:19Oh, this isn't about surviving now.
17:22It's about how I'm going to die and how's Shemmy going to die.
17:34From his home over the road from Archer Park, freelance cameraman Nick Castellaro,
17:39here's the rapid pops of gunshots.
17:45And I got up and I was coming down and people were coming in.
17:49So people from over the road were taking shelter here?
17:52Obviously taking shelter.
17:53So I got here and I looked across the road and I saw the Jewish festival and I knew what
18:01was going on.
18:03For this veteran who has worked around the world, there is just one thing to do.
18:08The only decision I had to make was what camera do I take?
18:12I knew this was a major event.
18:16Inching towards the source of the gunfire,
18:19Nick Castellaro will capture the chaos, carnage and cruelty of Sajid and Naveed Akram's terror attack from just metres away.
18:31Among those under fire in the park are Alex and Larissa Kleitman.
18:37Amid the barrage of bullets, Alex moves to cover his wife of 57 years with his body.
18:46He always described mum to be the love of his life and his whole life and that he would do
18:54everything to protect her.
18:56And I think this is what he was doing, making sure that he close to her, near her, provides this
19:03shield to protect her.
19:05What?
19:22Bondi lifeguard coordinator Daniel McLaughlin swings into action.
19:28I just grabbed a couple of medic kits.
19:30I don't know what I grabbed, but I just grabbed anything and we ran over into where the people were
19:36injured.
19:38McLaughlin and his team are well trained in treating trauma wounds, not running into gunfire.
19:45Were you worried that you're running into a live fire situation?
19:49A hundred percent.
19:50I could hear the shots going off while our lifeguards are in there and we were running into it, hearing
19:55it.
19:56You know, the police were telling Mouse to duck down and take cover.
20:01And there was a lot of screaming.
20:03It was mayhem.
20:06Amid the mayhem, as Jessica Rosen lies on the ground shielding an unknown child from the gunfire, she hears from
20:12her husband.
20:14My husband sent me a text to say that he was safe, that he had my daughter.
20:20This is why the bullets are being fired?
20:22Bullets are still firing.
20:23We both understood that it would not be wise to call.
20:28I texted him back saying that I have a little girl and she's not mine.
20:33Someone has been shot at that point.
20:36I was actually physically dripping blood onto my phone.
20:38And I took a photo, a selfie of myself, to see where I was injured, if I was injured.
20:49Michael and Valentina are separated from Matilda and their other daughter, six-year-old Summer.
20:54They are desperate to find them.
20:57And then I saw Matilda, she actually ran to where we were sitting because she got scared and then I
21:06was screaming to her, like, Matilda, Matilda.
21:09And I started to crawl around, around those chairs to where she was, and that's when I realized that she
21:19was hurt.
21:22I took my shoulder over, I was trying to, you know, cover the wound and I was trying to pull
21:27her out.
21:27And we were just, you know, just trying to calm her down, trying to tell her, please, just, just wait,
21:34wait, wait, wait, you know, the help will be coming soon.
21:39And, and, yeah, she was, she was still, she was still conscious, like, and she was, she could just, just
21:52told me that she was hard to breathe.
21:58Alone on the footbridge, Naveed Akram briefly ceases firing, then turns and appears to shoo away people not from the
22:06Hanukkah event.
22:10He then resumes firing into Archer Park at those trying to take cover.
22:18These people came not only to slaughter Jews, obviously, that, that's self-evident, but in the act, they acted coolly
22:26with composure methodically to destroy as many lives as they possibly could.
22:32It's just unbelievable.
22:34As everyone takes shelter, 62-year-old Reuven Morrison decides to take action.
22:41Reuven is a family friend of ours.
22:43He walked through the middle of active gunfire.
22:45I didn't understand what he was doing at the time.
22:49I yelled at him to get down, but he was just walking into danger.
22:54Through all the gunfire, my father gets up.
22:57He saw no one was doing anything, so he got up himself to protect.
23:01He's running through the crowd, and he's re-diverting the terrorists.
23:07Creeping closer to the footbridge, freelance cameraman Nick Castellaro films the chaos and carnage in the park,
23:13before panning his camera to capture an act of great courage.
23:22Tackling Sajid Akram, Sutherland tobacconist Ahmed Al-Akhmed manages to disarm him.
23:32The tackle, he came flying into the frame, and then the guy takes the gun off him, and he's standing
23:39in front of him.
23:39The terrorist, for want of a better word, falls out of shot, and I thought he'd shot him, because the
23:44sound, there was the sound of another gun.
23:46But as it happened, he hadn't shot him.
23:48He hadn't.
23:49He hadn't.
23:50The shooting Nick Castellaro hears is actually from the footbridge.
23:55With his father disarmed, Naveed Akram begins firing at Ahmed Al-Akhmed and Israeli Geffen Bitton.
24:02Both men end up seriously wounded.
24:10As Akram retreats back towards the footbridge to rejoin his son, Reuven Morrison charges at him.
24:22At one point, he gets hold of a brick, and you can see the footage of him throwing that directly
24:28at the terrorist, which threw him off in that moment.
24:30He saved lives, he saved moments, he gave people time to flee, time to hide, and to be able to
24:37leave with their lives.
24:40Having thrown something at Sajid Akram, Reuven Morrison is then shot and critically wounded.
24:51How proud are you of your father?
24:53It's just so him.
24:55It epitomises how he lived his life.
24:58He did incredibly brave, incredibly heroic, incredibly selfless thing, because that's the sort of person that he was.
25:09He walked in to put himself in danger to try and save others, and he did.
25:15You think he saved lives?
25:17I do.
25:21For Jessica Chapnick-Kahn, a survival instinct has kicked in.
25:27I thought, this is our moment.
25:29I'm not letting her die in this.
25:32This isn't how she dies.
25:34This isn't how we die, in horror, in wailing, in gunshots, in splashing body parts.
25:43And I whispered, well, I don't think it was a whisper, but it was right in her ear.
25:50I said, Shemi, go inside yourself.
25:56Go to your heart where all the love is and stay there.
25:59Stay there, my baby.
26:00Stay there.
26:04And I felt her instantly just melt into me.
26:07Like, she heard me.
26:08She heard me.
26:08I knew she'd heard me.
26:11By now, Nick Castellaro has joined police officers who've arrived on the scene.
26:17Suddenly, Naveed Akram swings his weapon in Nick's direction.
26:24He then seems to gesture for the cameraman to go away.
26:30So, where were you, Nick?
26:31I reckon it's about here.
26:32Because I could see this cat's eyes, mate.
26:34It was, you know, it was that close.
26:38And I, because I was moving around a bit, I know that annoyed him.
26:41Because he's actually gone to me, fuck off.
26:43And then had a shot.
26:47He's on the bridge, mate.
26:48He's on the bridge.
26:50He's shooting.
26:51If I can take a shot, you get a look at him.
26:53Get down.
26:53Get out of his face.
26:56In the chaos, Nick Castellaro tries to help the police track the gunman's movements.
27:01They were pinned.
27:02They didn't have line of sight to this guy.
27:06His face, he's got his back to you, bro.
27:08He's on the bridge.
27:09So, I was doing my best to just say, like, he's coming our way.
27:12Or, you know, he's got his back to you.
27:14Or, you know.
27:15He's still on the bridge.
27:16He's still on the bridge.
27:18With Sajid Akram re-armed and rejoining his son on the footbridge,
27:22police are closing in.
27:24And firing back.
27:27Causing the gunman to begin taking cover.
27:30One of the officers is Detective Cesar Barraza.
27:35Suddenly, the older Akram falls.
27:38Most likely shot by Barraza.
27:42The younger Akram swings round and begins firing in the detective's direction.
27:48Intent on the murder of innocence for Naveed Akram, there will be no surrender.
27:55Fucking die, cunt.
27:57Die.
28:00Just over a minute after his father, Naveed Akram, is also brought down by police fire.
28:10Fuck, yeah!
28:14Yeah, they got him!
28:19He's down, he's down!
28:24At ground level, Nick Castellaro captures the moment police move on to the footbridge
28:29and the chaos that follows.
28:35Get on the car!
28:36One bystander is, for a moment, suspected of being part of the shooting.
28:42Another man swings a kick at him.
28:44Get down now!
28:45Get the fuck out of here!
28:46And it kind of went from one explosive situation to another,
28:49and it was really...
28:52Just crazy, mate.
28:53Just crazy.
28:56On the ground!
28:58On the ground!
29:01On the ground!
29:05His father is dead.
29:07You're going to get locked up, too.
29:08Stop going.
29:08Get off me!
29:09You're going to get locked up!
29:13From the footbridge, Nick Castellaro moves back to Archer Park
29:17and a scene of horror.
29:24It was harder going to the park than the shootout.
29:28Pretty confronting.
29:29It was, mate.
29:30It was.
29:31When your best option is to lie on top of someone
29:35and use yourself as a body bag.
29:38Yeah.
29:39It's not a good situation, is it?
29:41Boy!
29:45One of those who used herself as a human shield,
29:48in her case to protect a small child she didn't even know,
29:51is Jessica Rosen.
29:54I didn't move until the girl's dad came.
29:57He was crouched.
29:59He said, you've got my little girl.
30:00And then she said, Daddy.
30:03I was very, very happy and relieved to give it to her daddy.
30:08That was the first sort of sign that maybe things were OK.
30:11Stay now!
30:12Stay now!
30:13Stay now!
30:14Get the fuck down!
30:16Are you OK?
30:18Where have you been?
30:19Multiple people entered.
30:21I need assistance now!
30:22Stay now!
30:23Among the wounded getting treatment is medical volunteer Yankee Super.
30:27Yankee, we're only going to be in here.
30:29OK, be quiet.
30:30OK.
30:32Having sheltered behind a low barrier for what seemed like an eternity,
30:37Jessica Chapnick-Khan now has another horror to confront with her daughter.
30:41And we got up and I said to Shemi, Shemi, close your eyes, do not look around.
30:46She said, why?
30:48And I said, because we're walking forward.
30:52Mum and Shemi are walking forward and we're leaving.
30:54And we don't need to see anything else.
30:57And I got up and she did exactly what I told her.
31:02She put her head right here and I looked around.
31:07And I couldn't believe what I saw, that what I was feeling was a reality.
31:13That this was a reality.
31:15That this entire bloodbath was a reality.
31:21And we walked over the bodies.
31:25And I walked straight, just forward, and there was a policeman there.
31:30And I said, what do I do?
31:32And he said, run home.
31:36Among the first responders treating the wounded are Bondi lifeguards,
31:41including veteran Daniel McLaughlin and his team members, Michael and Mario.
31:46There's another one.
31:46There are four.
31:47There are four.
31:50First thing I see is Michael just attending to young officers being shot in the face, stomach.
31:57Horrific.
31:58Horrific injuries on people.
32:03Some of the little things will stick with you.
32:05And one of them for me was having to remove the defib off a patient that was deceased
32:09in front of their family to put on another person.
32:12And taking that off was, I knew in that moment that was a hard thing for me to do.
32:17And they just wanted help.
32:19But I had to take that off to put on someone else to try and save them.
32:22Let's go on, brother.
32:25You can.
32:27Volunteer life-savers have tried desperately to save Shana Gutnick's father, Reuven Morrison,
32:32who confronted the older gunman.
32:34Reuven has multiple gunshot wounds.
32:38Thank God the Sydney lifeguards had run in incredible heroes, putting their own lives at risk to help others.
32:45They were doing CPR, giving him precious moments of life.
32:50Through this time, he's still responding.
32:52He's responding his name.
32:54Another who showed great courage is Alex Kleitman, who moved to shield his wife Larissa from the gunfire.
33:02Alerted to the carnage at Bondi, their daughter Sabina rings her mother.
33:07She says, you no longer have a father.
33:10He's just been shot.
33:12He was dead almost immediately.
33:16My mum sucked in blood, standing next to him.
33:20I was screaming for so long.
33:24I had to put water on my face to stop screaming.
33:30Also among those killed is event co-organiser and respected Jewish community leader, Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
33:38It's a void that can never be filled.
33:44That's what he did for the community.
33:49A hundred people couldn't do.
33:53And the youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.
33:58She had such a kind heart and she was always, you know, giving and always, yeah, always, always, always happy.
34:11She was always happy.
34:13Just remember her as smiling, happy, 10-year-old Aussie girl.
34:20The New South Wales ambulance have been coming and going as they triage and get the people the care that
34:27they need.
34:28Virginia Wynne Markham has seen the news on TV and has been desperately trying to contact her husband, event photographer
34:34Peter Marr, for hours.
34:37After two phone calls with police, I got a call at 1.04 in the morning on Monday and it
34:43was from the community liaison officer.
34:45And she said, is that Virginia?
34:48And I said, yes.
34:49And she said, are you at home?
34:50I said, yes.
34:51She said, I'm on my way.
34:53So the liaison officer comes here and it's the worst news you could ever...
34:58Yeah.
34:59She said, well, I can confirm that Peter was shot and she gestured to this region and she said that
35:08he passed on scene.
35:11That I think words to the effect of when first responders reached him, they knew there was nothing they could
35:18do.
35:24For the lifeguards who rushed up from the beach to be among the first to help, the scene in Archer
35:30Park still haunts them.
35:35I just want to really acknowledge that the families of the victims and the friends just need to know that
35:42there was people tirelessly working to save their lives.
35:49How are you bearing up?
35:51Not great.
35:52It's terrific.
35:55Like, just, you try and do your best to be a leader of people in a horrific time.
36:15The worst terror attack in Australian history has left 15 innocent people dead and 40 injured.
36:24This planned and deliberate horror has shattered lives and left a community struggling with grief.
36:37What has always been a paradise and a place of enjoyment is now a crime scene and a site of
36:45national mourning.
36:50Bondi is a place where everyone is welcome.
36:52This violates, I think, the very heart of Bondi.
36:56The Jewish community, I cannot speak for how devastated they are.
36:59The grief, the fear, the anger, it is so deep right now.
37:04People are saying, you know, am I welcome here at all?
37:07You know, I met someone today, eighth generation Australian, saying, I don't know, I can stay here anymore.
37:13This is the level of, I think, trauma that people are feeling.
37:28The Hanukkah by the Sea event was organised by Chabad Bondi.
37:32And 24 hours after the slaughter, the community gathers at the organisation's synagogue to pray and to grieve.
37:41But there is also a pointed message to be delivered.
37:45A warning what happens when you let anti-Semitism fester.
37:51And in the face of such tragedy, and in their honour and merit, we the community refuse to be diminished.
37:59We commit ourselves to honouring their memory, not only with words, but with action.
38:14Community leaders say levels of anti-Semitism have soared in the past few years.
38:21Alex Rivchen from the Executive Council of Australian Jury has felt it first hand.
38:26With his former home vandalised and nearby cars torched.
38:31And that's why for two years we've been raising the alarm, because we know where things go.
38:36We see the fixation that people exhibit.
38:39We see the incitement.
38:41And it always ends this way.
38:43It's always ended this way.
38:48Following the October 7 bloodbath by Hamas that left 1,200 Israelis dead,
38:54and the subsequent Gaza war in which Israel killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, mostly civilians,
39:01members of the Jewish community say anti-Semitism in Australia reached unprecedented levels.
39:09Post-October 7, it became more real, became more possible.
39:13There was more visible anti-Semitism, anti-Semitism coming from new fronts.
39:21There became a new vector of very, very strong anti-Israel sentiment,
39:28which sometimes spills over into anti-Jewish sentiment, anti-Semitic sentiment.
39:36That was new.
39:38People were scared of it.
39:39But I never thought it would end in violence.
39:44The government appointed a special envoy to combat anti-Semitism who came up with a comprehensive strategy,
39:49which has not been implemented.
39:51I can't help but conclude that had there been more decisive, firm action at the beginning,
39:57true leadership, that this wouldn't have happened.
40:06At a memorial a week after the massacre,
40:10many there made very clear their opinion of the Prime Minister's performance in confronting anti-Semitism.
40:17The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese.
40:25I firmly believe from my personal relationship with the Prime Minister and my dealings with him,
40:31that he's a good and decent human being.
40:33He abhors racism, anti-Semitism.
40:36After the attack on my old home, he was one of the first to call,
40:38and I could hear in his voice that he was shaken and he was distressed by it.
40:43And I know that's sincere.
40:44I have no doubt about that.
40:47But we need a Prime Minister to lead, to show leadership,
40:50to go beyond what's politically expedient, what the party room says, what this faction says.
40:57That's what leadership is.
40:58It's about transcending that, going beyond that.
41:00There was so much anti-Semitism that was allowed to grow unchecked.
41:07There was no consequences.
41:09And that was a green light to all the anti-Semitism that was underground,
41:14to suddenly come to the surface.
41:18The Prime Minister declined an interview request from Four Corners.
41:25For many of those who were in Archer Park that December day,
41:29there is disappointment that the Prime Minister had to be pressured
41:32to call a Commonwealth Royal Commission.
41:35I think when you've got 15 people, most of them Australian,
41:41that have died on Australian soil,
41:45and you've got their blood on the grass and the sand of Bondi Beach,
41:51to not immediately say,
41:58obviously this needs a Royal Commission.
42:03It's unthinkable.
42:11Five weeks after the Bondi Massacre,
42:14the Federal Parliament passed hate speech and gun reform laws.
42:18We cherish the promise.
42:19At a day of mourning that same week,
42:21the Prime Minister apologised to the Jewish community
42:24for failing to keep them safe.
42:26I am deeply and profoundly sorry
42:29that we could not protect your loved ones from this evil.
42:35The New South Wales government has moved to crack down on protests
42:39by giving police more power to ban street demonstrations
42:42for up to three months.
42:45In a move that has been condemned by civil libertarians,
42:49the Premier also wants some chants and statements banned.
42:55I'd like to say globalised the Intifada ban.
42:59I mean, this is globalising a violent resistance.
43:02So not Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, the Middle East,
43:06but here in Australia.
43:08And ultimately, didn't we just see what globalised the Intifada means?
43:11How much of a fine line is it, though?
43:14I mean, I'll be honest with you.
43:16We don't have the same free speech rules
43:18that they have in the United States.
43:20We don't.
43:20They're different here.
43:22And criminalising it says that we can protect
43:25not just individuals who have a fear of walking down the street
43:29and being racially vilified,
43:31but also a recognition that we've got people from around the world,
43:34from different races, different religions.
43:35We come to Australia.
43:36We live side by side.
43:37We don't just tolerate one another,
43:39that we try and draw out the best of each other's cultures
43:42and ideas and identities
43:43and make it a homogenous Australian one.
43:45Well, that does require guardrails.
43:59My dad was killed for who he was.
44:04So, yes, he survived the Nazis.
44:07He survived the Soviets.
44:08He survived all sorts of hate.
44:10He didn't survive that type of hate.
44:24In the face of hate,
44:25thousands have gathered at Bondi Beach in a show of unity
44:28and in support of the Jewish community.
44:33But the horror of that day remains raw for those who witnessed it,
44:37like Bondi local and cameraman Nick Castellaro.
44:42The beach helps.
44:43The water helps.
44:44You know, it's a bit of a healer.
44:47It's just sad, mate.
44:48As I say, it's just sad for Bondi,
44:50but sad for our country, mate.
44:52That's what I think.
45:00Shana Goodnick's parents met at Bondi Beach.
45:04And it's where her father, Reuven, died,
45:06defending the lives of others.
45:10For us, it's a place that's, at the same time, filled with Jewish blood,
45:18but an iconic Sydney landmark where so many heroes rose up on that day,
45:24gave their lives up for others,
45:26ran through the shooting to protect, to save, and to help.
45:30So, at one hand, we have the absolute massacre that occurred there,
45:35but we have so many stories of light and heroism coming forward.
45:40And for the professional lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers
45:44who work at Bondi and who rushed in to help that day,
45:47a simple message to the families who lost loved ones.
45:53I'm pretty adamant just to let them know
45:55that no-one was left alone in their time of need.
45:59The care and love I saw everyone get given,
46:02holding their hand all the way to the end,
46:05wherever that was, where they were being led to an ambulance,
46:08or they were in their last moment,
46:10there was good, caring people around all the time,
46:14working tirelessly to save their lives.
46:16Like, if that's some small thing
46:19that the families and friends can take out of it,
46:22they weren't alone.
46:22They were definitely not alone.
46:26Others have to navigate the terrible events of that day
46:29with their children,
46:31like Jessica Chapnick-Khan,
46:33who shielded her daughter Shemi with her body.
46:37When she found out Matilda died,
46:39and that really broke me,
46:42and the look on her face was, like, horrifying to me.
46:46She just...
46:48She looked so hurt.
46:52And she just said,
46:53can a child die?
46:55Can a kid die?
46:57It's hard enough for an adult
46:59to even understand this whole thing,
47:01let alone a five-year-old.
47:22The Jewish 30-day mourning period,
47:25known as Sloshim,
47:26is coming to an end.
47:31Down at Bondi,
47:33thousands, including survivors
47:35and the families of victims,
47:37have come to commemorate and to comfort,
47:39among them Jessica Chapnick-Khan.
47:42May we find a new path with heart,
47:45a new path of wisdom,
47:48that children and people everywhere
47:52may live and breathe in peace.
47:55Thank you for holding us
47:58and for witnessing this story.
48:08They didn't die helpless.
48:10Every day during the 30-day mourning period,
48:13the names of those who were killed
48:14have been read out.
48:16Reuven Morrison,
48:1962 years of age.
48:21He saved lives in those moments
48:23and he took those bullets.
48:24He was always our hero.
48:26Growing up, I was a little girl,
48:27always so proud of my dad
48:28and now we could share his heroism
48:31with the whole world.
48:33Alex Clayton,
48:35an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor.
48:38He came here to escape that hate
48:40and to escape that darkness.
48:42He died protecting my mum,
48:45being a proud Jew,
48:47lighting the light,
48:52standing against anti-Semitism,
48:55something which was very dear to him.
48:58I'm Tanya Tretiak,
49:01Adam Smythe,
49:03Boris Tetleroid,
49:05Edith Brutman,
49:07Boris and Sophia Gorman,
49:10Rabbi Yaakov Levitin,
49:12Mark Apogany,
49:1427-year-old Dan L. Kayam,
49:17Tibor Whiteson,
49:20Rabbi Eli Schlanger,
49:22Peter Marr,
49:2361 years of age.
49:25He was doing what he loved
49:28among people who knew him
49:30and in some respects loved him.
49:33When I found out
49:35that that last photo
49:36of young Matilda
49:37with the bubbles,
49:38that Peter had taken that,
49:40it warmed my heart
49:41that there was such
49:42a joyful photo,
49:43a remembrance of her.
49:52I want her to be remembered
49:55like a light
49:56that will overcome darkness.
49:59Nothing will return her back,
50:02but if her death
50:03will do something good,
50:05something good,
50:06it will mean a lot to me.
50:13Do you have any flowers?
50:16Yes.
50:17I will.
50:18Hey, I'll sting you.
50:20For Michael and Valentina,
50:22their focus is now
50:23on their six-year-old daughter,
50:24Summer,
50:25allowing her to both grieve
50:27and to grow.
50:29It's OK.
50:30I'll hug you.
50:32We have to worry about her.
50:34We have to make sure
50:34that she's OK
50:35and she doesn't see us
50:36always in distress.
50:39I'm sorry, guys.
50:41Can I get a couple of minutes?
50:42I'm sorry.
50:43Of course, of course.
50:44Sorry, I need a bit of fresh air.
50:46Yeah, yes, of course, of course.
50:48Sorry, Michael.
50:48I'm so sorry.
50:50It's OK.
50:58My family went home that day
51:00and they lit candles.
51:01And they lit candles
51:03every day of Hanukkah,
51:05even when it was hard.
51:07Once a little bright girl
51:10Played by the ocean shore
51:14Under the shade
51:16There is light
51:17and I have been so grateful
51:21and overwhelmed
51:23by the outpouring of love
51:25and support
51:25and we refuse to believe
51:28that darkness
51:30is going to overcome light.
51:32We won't let it.
51:33Up in the night sky
51:37Her smile is shining
51:39bright as day
51:40I hope and I'm glad
51:42that this song
51:43will be connected
51:43to Al Matilda
51:45for maybe, you know,
51:47for the future
51:47because this song
51:48is connected
51:49to Australia
51:50and I feel like,
51:52you know,
51:53like Al Matilda
51:54will be
51:54will be remembered
51:57through that song
51:58and connected
51:58forever.
52:00Waltzing Matilda
52:04Waltzing Matilda
52:07You come a-waltzing Matilda
52:12with me
52:13And she sang
52:15and she laughed
52:16In the dancing flames
52:19of power
52:20You come a-waltzing Matilda
52:26with me
52:29You come a-waltzing Matilda
52:33I don'ts do it
52:33With me
52:33You come a-waltzing
52:38vie
52:38I don'ts do it
52:43This will be
52:43You come a-waltzing
52:49But it's naive
52:49You come a-waltzing
52:53I don'ts do it
52:54Felicia
52:54You come a-waltzing
52:57It's mah、el
52:57It's done
52:57A lam let
52:57And all
52:57I know
52:57You come a-waltzing
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