Funeral held for Bondi terror victim Dan Elkayam in Sydney

An emotional mourner has called for a royal commission into the horrific Bondi massacre as hundreds remember a young man slain in the attack as a “holy martyr”.

Jack Pinczewski, a current member of the Jewish centre for law and justice and on the board of the Great Synagogue in Sydney, attended the funeral to show respect for Dan Elkayam, saying the young man died away from his family and that it was important he be sent off in a respectful way.

The Bondi local emphasised that Australia needs to look at how the Bondi attack occurred and the drivers of anti-Semitism.

“It is the most important thing that can be done to define the problem, and if we can’t define the problem we can’t begin to prescribe solutions,” Mr Pinczewski said.

He says he has prepared submissions to parliamentary inquiries on anti-Semitism, but the institutional responses to it “have failed”.

“I think there has to be a wide-ranging examination of the way that Jewish hatred in this country was allowed to fester,” he said.

“How many more people have to come out and say that there needs to be a royal commission?” Mr Pinczewski asked.

“This is beyond politics, this is about the soul of our nation … we need to define the problem to try and solve it,” he said.

Mr Pinczewski said he has been “oscillated between rage and ungovernable sad” since the targeted Jewish attack last Sunday and attended 10-year-old Matilda’s funeral last week.

“It broke me in certain ways,” he said.

“It is very difficult to explain just how visceral this event has been”.

Mr Pinczewski said he wanted general Australians to “to call it (anti-Semitism) out when (they) see it”.

Mr Elkayam, a 27-year-old computer engineer living in Australia, was killed in the attack at Bondi Beach along with 14 other people and one of the shooters.

He had been playing football with friends when shots rang out.

The young man was shot in the back while trying to flee the attackers.

Reserved funeral attendees arrived at the service, with some heading straight into the hall while others gathered outside and hugged each other for support.

Prominent members of Sydney’s Jewish community attended the funeral, including co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin and president of the NSW Board of Jewish Deputies David Ossip.

Mourners also included members of the Hakoah Sydney City East FC football club, a prominent Jewish football club.

It’s understood that Mr Elkayam’s French family were unable to attend the service.

Jesse Singer, a close friend of Mr Elkayam, sobbed as he approached the microphone, needing to take a moment before speaking about the adventurous soul.

“Dan was always joyful and positive and you could feel that energy in any room he entered,” Mr Singer said.

“He cared deeply about his friends and his family and he’d do anything for them.

“He was a proud Jew, and no matter what, he stayed true to his core values.”

Mr Singer described the final hours of Mr Elkayam’s life as something that “perfectly captured everything he loved”.

“We played football on the beach for hours with a group of friends and then went to celebrate Chanuka (at) Bondi, two things Dan truly lived for, his love of football and his love of Judaism,” he said.

As mourners began to gather around the coffin to say goodbye as the service ended, one friend remained at Mr Elkayam’s side until everyone else had left the hall.

He placed a frangipani flower on top of the coffin in a touching tribute, his hands remaining on Mr Elkayam’s remains until long after everyone had filed out of the service.

A rabbi who knew Mr Elkayam said that his loved ones would “not allow his memory and legacy to disappear”.

“We’re here to honour Dan Elkayam, a kind and warm soul beloved by everyone who knew him,” he told those gathered.

“Dan has now joined an elite group of people referred to in our tradition as a Kadosh, a holy martyr who was killed simply for being Jewish.

“ … to the entire extended family, you should know that you are not alone, the entirety of Sydney and people all around the world are grieving with you, we’re with you in your pain and agony.”

The rabbi told a story from a young soccer player who had played against Mr Elkayam, where the 27-year-old showed mercy after being “taken down” on the field.

“Anybody who’s either played soccer or been around soccer knows that that’s usually the beginning of a fight,” the rabbi said. “He said Dan got up, gave him a hand, lifted him up and gave him a hug.

“And he said ‘I was just so blown away, I’ve never seen this before in a soccer game and I think that anybody who knows Dan could instantly feel that incredibly humble and loving energy.”

The French national leaves behind a girlfriend who he had been living with in Australia, as well as his parents and four brothers in Le Bourget in northeastern Paris.

Police were scattered around the funeral hall, ensuring the event goes ahead peacefully, including a Public Order and Riot Squad vehicle stationed at the front of the building.

Mr Elkayam’s family paid tribute to the young man whose life was ripped away by the violence on Bondi Beach.

“He was playing football, celebrating the holiday, and enjoying a sunny day at the beach,” they said.

“During a mass shooting, Dan was shot in the back while trying to run away.

“He was murdered because he was Jewish.

“He leaves behind his partner in Australia, as well as his parents, brothers, nieces, and nephews in Paris, France, where he was born and raised. He was deeply proud of his community back home in Le Bourget.”

Jérémie Elkayam told French media that his brother was “an extraordinary person who enjoyed life, not materialistic at all, who understood the value of things, and who loved to travel”.

“We are four brothers and, of the four of us, he was, to me, the kindest of all,” he said on French radio.

According to the funeral home, Mr Elkayam’s body will be sent to Israel for burial.

Funerals have already taken place for Rabbis Eli Schlangen and Yaakov Levitan, Boris and Sofia Gurman and the shooting’s youngest victim, 10-year-old Matilda.