- 10 hours ago
Four Corners - Season 66 - Episode 01: Bondi: Light Over Darkness (Part 1)
Category
📺
TVTranscript
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.
17:01The things.
17:02And then I realized, oh my God.
17:04Oh my God.
17:07They're body parts.
17:09Before that, I'd been like praying
17:11and kind of, you know, wanting to survive.
17:14And when that spray came over, I realized,
17:19oh, this isn't about surviving now.
17:22It's about how I'm gonna die and how is Shemmy gonna die.
17:34from his home over the road from archer park freelance cameraman nick castellaro
17:39he's the rapid pops of gunshots
17:45and i got up and i was coming down and people were coming in and the people from over the
17:51road
17:51we're taking shelter obviously taking shelter and i got here and i looked across the road
17:57and i saw the jewish festival and i knew what we what was going on for this veteran who has
18:05worked
18:05around the world there is just one thing to do the only decision i had to make was what camera
18:10do i take i knew this was a major event
18:16inching towards the source of the gunfire nick castellaro will capture the chaos carnage and
18:22cruelty of sajid and navid akram's terror attack from just meters 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
18:45so he always described mom to be the love of his life and his whole life
18:53and that he would do everything to protect her and i think this is what he was doing making sure
19:00that he close to her near her provides this shield to protect her
19:15what's going on
19:16fuck
19:18shit
19:22bondi lifeguard coordinator daniel mclaughlin swings into action
19:28i just grabbed a couple of medic kits what i don't know what i grabbed but i just grabbed anything
19:31and we we ran over into into where the where the people were injured
19:38and i think it was a lot of screaming it was mayhem
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 a hundred percent i could hear the
19:50shots going off while our lifeguards are in there and we were running into it hearing it um
19:56you know the police were telling mouse to duck down and take cover and there was a lot of screaming
20:02it was mayhem
20:06amid the mayhem as jessica rosen lies on the ground shielding an unknown child from the gunfire
20:11she hears from her husband and my husband sent me a text to say that he was safe
20:17that he had my daughter um this is why the bullets are being fired bullets are still firing
20:23we both understood that it would not be wise to call um i texted him back saying that i have
20:31a
20:31little girl and she's not mine someone has been shot at that point i was actually physically dripping
20:37blood onto my phone i took a photo a selfie of myself to see where i was injured if i
20:45was injured
20:48michael and valentina are separated from matilda and their other daughter six-year-old summer
20:54they are desperate to find them and then i saw matilda she she actually ran to where we were
21:02sitting because she got scared and then i was screaming like matilda matilda and i and i started to
21:11crawl around around those chairs to where she was and that's when like when i realized that she was
21:19she was hurt i took my shoulder over i was trying to you know cover the wound and i was
21:26trying to pull
21:27her out we were just just trying to calm her down trying to tell her please just just wait wait
21:34wait
21:35probably you know the help will be coming soon and um yeah she was she was still
21:47she was still conscious like and she was she could just just told me that she was hard to breathe
21:58alone on the footbridge navid akram briefly ceases firing then turns and appears to shoo away people
22:05not from the hanika event
22:10he then resumes firing into archer park with those trying to take cover
22:18these people came not only to slaughter jews obviously that that's self-evident
22:23but in the act they acted coolly with composure methodically to destroy as many lives as they
22:31possibly could it's just unbelievable as everyone takes shelter 62 year old reuven morrison decides to
22:39take action reuven is a family friend of ours he walked through the middle of active gunfire i didn't
22:46understand what he was doing at the time i yelled at him to get down but he was just walking
22:52into danger through all the gunfire my father gets up he saw no one was doing anything so he got
23:00up
23:00himself to protect he's running through the crowd and he's re-diverting the terrace
23:07creeping closer to the footbridge freelance cameraman nick castellaro films the chaos and
23:12carnage in the park before 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
23:38and he's standing in front of him the terrorist for one of a better word falls out of shot and
23:42i thought he'd shot him because the sound there was a sound of another gun but as it happened he
23:48hadn't shot he hadn't he hadn't the shooting nick castellaro hears is actually from the footbridge
23:55with his father disarmed navid akram begins firing at ahmed al-akhmed and israeli geffen biton
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
24:28the terrorist which threw him off in that moment he saved lives he saved moments he gave people time to
24:35time to hide and to be able to leave 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 it's just so him it epitomizes how he lived his life
24:58he did incredibly brave incredibly heroic incredibly selfless thing because that's
25:06the sort of person that he was um he walked in to put himself in danger to try and save
25:14others
25:14and he did you think he saved lives i do
25:21for jessica chapnick khan a survival instinct has kicked in
25:27i thought this is our moment i'm not letting her die in this
25:31this isn't this isn't how she dies this isn't how we die with in horror in wailing in gunshots
25:41in splashing body parts in and i whispered well i don't think it was a whisper but it was a
25:48right in her ear i said shemi go inside yourself
25:56go to your heart where all the love is and stay there stay there my baby stay there
26:04and i felt her instantly just melt into me like she heard me she had i knew she'd heard me
26:11but not it's so funny
26:12by now nick castellaro has joined police officers who've arrived on the scene
26:18suddenly navid akram swings his weapon in nick's direction
26:23he then seems to gesture for the cameraman to go away
26:29so where were you nick i reckon it's about here because i could see this cat's eyes mate it was
26:35you
26:36You know, it was that close.
26:38And because I was moving around a bit, I know that annoyed him
26:40because he's actually gone to me, fuck off, and then had a shot.
26:47He's on the bridge, mate. He's on the bridge.
26:50Girls, he's shooting.
26:51If I can take a shot, you get a look at him.
26:53Get out of his face!
26:56In the chaos, Nick Castellaro tries to help the police
26:59track the gunman's movements.
27:01They were pinned. They didn't have line of sight to this guy.
27:06He's facing it. He's got his back to you, bro. He'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 or, you know.
27:15He's still on the bridge. He's still on the bridge.
27:18With Sajid Akram re-armed and rejoining his son on the footbridge,
27:23police are closing in and 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.
27:41The younger Akram swings round
27:44and begins firing in the detective's direction.
27:48Intent on the murder of innocence,
27:50for Naveed Akram,
27:52there will be no surrender.
27:55Fucking die, cunt! Die!
28:00Just over a minute after his father,
28:03Naveed Akram,
28:04is 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,
28:25Nick Castellaro captures the moment police move on to the footbridge
28:29and the chaos that follows.
28:35Get on the car!
28:37One bystander is, for a moment,
28:39suspected of being part of the shooting.
28:42Another man swings a kick at him.
28:44Get down there!
28:45Get the fuck down there!
28:46And it kind of went from one explosive situation to another
28:49and it was really just crazy, man.
28:54Just crazy.
28:54Get the fuck down there!
28:56Get the fuck down there!
28:57Get the fuck down there!
28:59Get the fuck down there!
29:00Police handcuff Naveed Akram,
29:01who's wounded but alive.
29:03Fucking bash him!
29:04Fuck!
29:05His father is dead.
29:07You're going to get locked up too,
29:08stop going there!
29:09He's been dead!
29:10He's been dead!
29:10He's been dead!
29:11He's been dead!
29:14He's been dead!
29:17He's been dead!
29:18He's been dead!
29:18He's been dead!
29:18He's been dead!
29:25It was harder going to the park than the shootout.
29:28Pretty confronting.
29:29It was, mate.
29:30It was.
29:32When your best option is to lie on top of someone
29:35and use yourself as a body bag.
29:38Yeah, it's not a good situation, is it?
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.
30:01And 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 okay.
30:11Stay down!
30:12Stay down!
30:13Stay down!
30:14Get the fuck down!
30:16Are you okay?
30:18Where have you been?
30:19Multiple people entered.
30:21I need assistance now.
30:22Stay down!
30:23Among the wounded getting treatment is medical volunteer Yankee Super.
30:27Yankee, where have you been here?
30:29Okay, be quiet.
30:30Okay.
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,
30:45do 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.
31:10That 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,
31:28and 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
31:39are Bondi lifeguards, including veteran Daniel McLaughlin
31:43and his team members, Michael and Mario.
31:46There's another one.
31:46There are four.
31:47There are four.
31:49The first thing I see is Michael just attending to
31:53a young officer who's been 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
32:08a patient who was deceased in front of their family
32:10to put on another person.
32:12And taking that off was...
32:13I knew in that moment that was a hard thing for me to do.
32:18And they just wanted help.
32:19But I had to take that off to put on someone else
32:21to try and save them.
32:22Let's go on, brother.
32:25You come.
32:27Volunteer lifesavers have tried desperately to save Shana Goodnick's father,
32:31Reuven Morrison, who confronted the older gunman.
32:34Reuven has multiple gunshot wounds.
32:38Thank God the Sydney lifeguards had run in incredible heroes,
32:43putting their own lives at risk to help others.
32:46They 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,
32:58who 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'd just been shot.
33:12He was dead almost immediately.
33:15My 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
33:33and respected Jewish community leader, Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
33:38It's a void that can never be filled.
33:42That's...
33:45What he did for the community...
33:49..a 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
34:03and always...
34:08..yeah, always, always, always happy.
34:11She was always happy.
34:13Just remember her as...
34:17..smiling, happy, ten-year-old Aussie girl.
34:20The New South Wales ambulance have been coming and going
34:24as they triage and get the people the care that they need...
34:28Virginia Wynne Markham has seen the news on TV
34:30and has been desperately trying to contact her husband,
34:33event photographer Peter Marr, for hours.
34:37After two phone calls with police,
34:39I got a call at 1.04 in the morning on Monday
34:43and it was from the community liaison officer
34:45and she said, um, 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...
34:56..and it's the worst news you could ever...
34:58Yeah.
34:59And she said, well, I can confirm that Peter was shot
35:04and she gestured to this region
35:07and she said that he passed on scene.
35:10That, um, I think words to the effect
35:13of when first responders reached him,
35:16they knew there was nothing they could do.
35:24For the lifeguards who rushed up from the beach
35:27to be among the first to help,
35:28the scene in Archer Park still haunts them.
35:35I just want to really acknowledge that
35:38the families of the victims and the friends
35:41just need to know that there was people
35:43tirelessly 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
35:57to be a leader of people in a horrific time.
36:15The worst terror attack in Australian history
36:18has left 15 innocent people dead and 40 injured.
36:24This planned and deliberate horror has shattered lives
36:28and left a community struggling with grief.
36:37What has always been a paradise and a place of enjoyment
36:41is now a crime scene
36:43and a site of national mourning.
36:50Bondi is a place where everyone is welcome.
36:53This 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,
37:10saying, I don't know I can stay here anymore.
37:13This is the level of, I think, trauma that people are feeling.
37:29The Hanukkah by the Sea event was organised by Chabad Bondi.
37:33And 24 hours after the slaughter,
37:35the community gathers at the organisation's synagogue
37:38to 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,
37:53and in their honour and merit,
37:56we, the community, refuse to be diminished.
37:59We commit ourselves to honouring their memory,
38:03not only with words, but with action.
38:14Community leaders say levels of anti-Semitism have soared in the past few years.
38:21Alex Rivchin, from the Executive Council of Australian Jury,
38:25has 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,
38:34because 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,
38:59mostly 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,
39:17anti-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,
39:47who came up with a comprehensive strategy which 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.
40:07At a memorial a week after the massacre,
40:10many there made very clear their opinion of the Prime Minister's performance
40:14in confronting anti-Semitism.
40:17The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese.
40:24I 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, I have no doubt about that.
40:47But we need a Prime Minister to lead, to show leadership, to go beyond what's politically expedient,
40:53what the party room says, what this faction says.
40:57That's what leadership is, it'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, and 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, there is disappointment that the Prime Minister had
41:31to be pressured to call a Commonwealth Royal Commission.
41:35I think when you've got 15 people, most of them Australian, that have died on Australian soil and you've got
41:46their blood on the grass and the sand of Bondi Beach,
41:51to not immediately say, obviously this needs a Royal Commission.
42:03It's unthinkable.
42:11Five weeks after the Bondi massacre, the Federal Parliament passed hate speech and gun reform laws.
42:18We cherish the promise.
42:19At a day of mourning that same week, the Prime Minister apologised to the Jewish community for failing to keep
42:25them safe.
42:26I am deeply and profoundly sorry that we could not protect your loved ones from this evil.
42:36The New South Wales Government has moved to crack down on protests by giving police more power to ban street
42:41demonstrations for up to three months.
42:46In a move that has been condemned by civil libertarians, the Premier also wants some chants and statements banned.
42:56I'd like to say globalise the Intifada ban. I mean, this is globalising a violent resistance.
43:02So not Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, the Middle East, but here in Australia.
43:08And ultimately, didn't we just see what globalise the Intifada means?
43:12How much of a fine line is it though?
43:14I mean, I'll be honest with you, we don't have the same free speech rules that they have in the
43:19United States.
43:20We don't. They're different here.
43:21And criminalising it so that we can protect not 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, from different races, different religions.
43:35We come to Australia. We live side by side.
43:37We don't just tolerate one another.
43:39We try and draw out the best of each other's cultures and ideas and identities and make it a homogenous
43:44Australian one.
43:45Well, that does require guardrails.
43:59My dad was killed for who he was.
44:04So, yes, he survived the Nazis, he survived the Soviets, he survived all sorts of hate.
44:10He didn't survive that type of hate.
44:24In the face of hate, thousands have gathered at Bondi Beach in a show of unity and in support of
44:30the Jewish community.
44:33But the horror of that day remains raw for those who witnessed it, like Bondi local and cameraman Nick Castellaro.
44:42The beach helps, the water helps, you know, it's a bit of a healer.
44:47It's just sad, mate.
44:48As I say, it's just sad for Bondi, but 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, defending the lives of others.
45:10For us, it's a place that's at the same time filled with Jewish blood, but an iconic Sydney landmark where
45:21so many heroes rose up on that day, gave their lives up for others, ran through the shooting to protect,
45:29to save and to help.
45:30So, at one hand, we have the absolute massacre that occurred there, but we have so many stories of light
45:37and heroism coming forward.
45:40And for the professional lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers who 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 that no one was left alone in their time of need.
45:59The care and love I saw everyone get given, holding their hand all the way to the end, wherever that
46:05was, where they were being led to an ambulance or they were in their last moment.
46:10There was good, caring people around all the time working tirelessly to save their lives.
46:16Like, if that's some small thing that the families and friends can take out of it, they weren't alone. They
46:23were definitely not alone.
46:26Others have to navigate the terrible events of that day with their children.
46:31Like Jessica Chapnick-Kahn, who shielded her daughter Shemi with her body.
46:37When she found out Matilda died, and that really broke me.
46:42And the look on her face was like horrifying to me. She just, she looked so hurt.
46:52And she just said, can a child die? Can a kid die?
46:57It's hard enough for an adult to even understand this whole thing, let alone a five-year-old.
47:22The Jewish 30-day mourning period, known as Sloshim, is coming to an end.
47:31Down at Bondi, thousands, including survivors and the families of victims, have come to commemorate and to comfort.
47:39Among them, Jessica Chapnick-Kahn.
47:42May we find a new path with heart, a new path of wisdom, that children and people everywhere may live
47:53and breathe in peace.
47:55Thank you for holding us and for witnessing this story.
48:08They didn't die helpless.
48:10Every day during the 30-day mourning period, the names of those who were killed have been read out.
48:16Reuven Morrison, 62 years of age.
48:21He saved lives in those moments and he took those bullets.
48:24He was always our hero, growing up as a little girl, always so proud of my dad.
48:29And now we could share his heroism with the whole world.
48:33Alex Clayton, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor.
48:38He came here to escape that hate and to escape that darkness.
48:42He died protecting my mum, being a proud Jew, lighting the light.
48:52Standing against anti-Semitism, something which was very dear to him.
48:58Tanya Tratiak.
49:01Adam Smythe.
49:03Boris Tetleroid.
49:05Edith Brutman.
49:07Boris and Sophia Gorman.
49:09Rabbi Yaakov Leberton.
49:12Mark Apogany.
49:1427-year-old Dan Elkayam.
49:17Tibor Whiteson.
49:20Rabbi Eli Schlanger.
49:22Peter Maher, 61 years of age.
49:25He was doing what he loved among people who knew him and in some respects loved him.
49:33When I found out that that last photo of young Matilda with the bubbles, that Peter had taken that, it
49:40warmed my heart that there was such a joyful photo, a remembrance of her.
49:52I want her to be remembered like a light that will overcome darkness.
50:00Nothing will return her back, but if her death will do something good, something good, it will mean a lot
50:07to me.
50:13Do you have any flowers?
50:16Yes.
50:18Hey, oh, stingy.
50:20For Michael and Valentina, their focus is now on their six-year-old daughter, Summer, allowing her to both grieve
50:27and to grow.
50:28It's okay to hug you.
50:32We have to worry about her.
50:34We have to make sure that she's okay and she doesn't see us always, you know, in distress.
50:40Sorry, guys.
50:41Can I get a couple of minutes? I'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.
50:49It's okay.
50:58My family went home that day and they lit candles.
51:01And they lit candles every day of Hanukkah, even when it was hard.
51:07Once a little bright girl Played by the ocean shore Under the shade
51:16There is light and I have been so grateful and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support.
51:26And we refuse to believe that darkness is going to overcome light.
51:32We won't let it.
51:34Up in the night sky Her smile is shining bright as day
51:40I hope and I'm glad that this song will be connected to Al Matilda for maybe, you know, for the
51:47future.
51:48Because this song is connected to Australia and I feel like, you know, like Al Matilda will be remembered through
51:57that song and connected forever.
52:00Here it is!
52:00I love to sing.
52:03I love to sing Matilda, I love to sing Matilda, you come a waltzing Matilda with me.
52:13And then she sang and she laughed in the dancing flames of globa, you come a waltzing Matilda with me.
Comments