‘His murder has devastated our soul’: French victim of Bondi shooting farewelled

• Follow our live coverage of the Bondi shooting here.

French citizen Dan Elkayam brought light wherever he went, his loved ones said after his death.

He was a lover of life, a “beautiful and humble soul”, with a smile that could light up any room.

That light flickered when Elkayam, 27, was fatally shot in the back as he desperately tried to flee the gunfire in the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. His family and friends – dozens of whom farewelled him at a funeral on Monday – were adamant it was not snuffed out, nor would it be so long as they lived.

Elkayam was “a kind and warm soul who was beloved by everyone who knew him”, Rabbi Chaim Koncepolsky told mourners gathered at the Chevra Kadishra Memorial Hall in Woollahra.

“His murder has devastated our soul. [He] was killed simply for being Jewish.”

Before the gunfire, Elkayam had been in his element: he was at Bondi Beach, under the blazing sun, kicking a football with mates, and preparing to watch the lighting of the menorah at the Chanukah by the Sea event.

An IT engineer at NBC Universal, Elkayam was born and raised in Le Bourget in Paris, where his family still resides. He had lived with his partner, Krystal Troyano, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

He was a passionate footballer who played for Rockdale Ilinden FC’s premier league side.

Elkayam’s coffin was draped in a black covering that bore a white Star of David.

Koncepolsky told Elkayam’s parents, three brothers, nieces, nephews, and extended family watching the service via livestream in France and Israel, that many people shared their “pain and agony”.

“You should know you are not alone. The entire [city of] Sydney and people all around the world are grieving with you.

“We all loved Dan dearly, and we will not allow his memory and legacy to disappear. We’re going to do so much good in his honour, and we will never, ever forget him.”

He said the “evil forces that took Dan’s life, and those who support them” had “no idea what you have done. With the killing of Dan, you have unleashed a light that is going to overtake the world.”

The rabbi recounted a story from a footballer who had grown frustrated he couldn’t defend Elkayam, who he said was “toying with me in the midfield” during a heated match, and had launched into him and “took him down”.

Rather than picking a fight, he said Elkayam “gave him a hand, lifted him up, gave him a hug”.

“He said, ‘I was just so blown away. I’ve never seen this before in the soccer game’.

“I think anybody who knows Dan could instantly feel that incredibly humble and loving energy,” the rabbi said.

Elkayam’s close friend Jesse Singer paid tribute through tears, saying: “Two things Dan truly lived for [were] his love of football and his love of Judaism.

“He cared deeply about his friends and his family, and he’d do anything for them. He was also a proud Jew, and no matter what, he stayed true to his core values. I was incredibly lucky to have Dan as a friend.”

Asked whether they had a message for mourners, Elkayam’s family members had told the rabbi: “We’re just so exhausted, we just want to tell everyone how much we love Dan.”

In a statement last week, Elkayam’s family had said he “loved life – fully and intensely”, and he had been “beginning to build his future in Australia, a country he loved”.

“Dan brought light wherever he went and inspired countless people through the way he lived. His smile could light up any room. He was pure joy – a beautiful and humble soul.”

They said it was now their responsibility to “carry forward the light that Dan spread. In times as dark as these, we all have a duty to continue spreading kindness, compassion, and joy – in his name.”

His body will be buried at the Ashdod Cemetery in Israel.

NSW Multiculturalism Minister Steve Kamper, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry Alex Ryvchin, NSW Board of Deputies president David Ossip, and Israel’s deputy chief of mission to Australia, Amir Maimon, were among those at the funeral. The service, eight days after the attack, coincided with the final day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights.

The sound of Hebrew prayer floated over traffic on Oxford Street as the service drew to a close.

A car with a white menorah strapped to its roof was among passing vehicles as the prayers rang out.

Dozens of mourners spilt onto the footpath, where they chatted, brushed tears from their eyes, and hugged. A PolAir helicopter buzzed overhead. The funeral had ended with a moment’s silence as mourners placed their hands on Elkayam’s coffin, before filing out of the dimly lit hall into the light.

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