The ten-year-old smiling brightly at the camera had her face painted and was beaming with joy. She hugged a baby goat in her arms and laughed without a care in her world. This was to be no more when in an instant, her whole world would change. All ten years of her life now stood at a crooked crossroad.
Matilda had been observing Hanukkah with her parents and her younger sister, Summer. The two girls were close, spending the day together, taking part in the merriment of the holiday, which celebrated light and togetherness.
This Thursday, Matilda’s family faces the unimaginable. The Jewish community of Sydney comes together to pay tribute to Sydney, the youngest victim of the Bondi tragedy. The years of life, learning, and dream-building have been overturned by grief and goodbyes. These would have been the years of youth, of growth, of knowledge acquisition, and of dream-building.
Her parents, who were again overwhelmed by shock and grief, just recently visited the memorial site, close to where Matilda was injured. Stepping up to the memorial site amidst tears, Michael, her father, explained why the name “Matilda” meant so much to him:
“The first person born to us in Australia was our daughter Matilda. I named our daughter Matilda because it’s just so Australian, a reminder of a fresh start and hope. I just ask that people not forget the name. That’s all I ask. Don’t forget that I have a daughter.”
Matilda’s aunt, Lina Chernykh, said, “Matilda was a very cheerful and affectionate child, and she was surrounded by friends, and she just loved to be around other kids.” When Lina first heard what happened, “I prayed with all my soul that Matilda could live, even if she could never lead a normal life.” She said, “I would have pushed her in a wheelchair for the rest of her life just so she could stay with me.”
In her expression of grief, Lina also expressed words that convey the spirit of Matilda – the spirit that shows compassion despite the pain. She says, “I feel pity even for those who have brought me so much pain. I guess they never knew what it is like to be loved.”
Weeks before she died, she was dancing for joy at her grandfather’s birthday party, radiating life and happiness, with no inkling that her life would soon be cut short.
But now, in place of a future that includes college, goals, and who she may one day become, they are making arrangements for a farewell. Matilda is remembered not only for the tragedy which ended her life but also for the happiness she brought to the world and the love she shared with others. Her name, as her father asked, will not be forgotten.
