The hand-crafted Islamic State flag was draped over a silver car.
Parked near the footbridge, where thousands walk from Campbell Parade to Bondi Beach daily, this ominous sign didn't escape Boris and Sofia Gurman's notice. As this ordinary Jewish couple entered their second fifty years, they lived peacefully in North Bondi. Little did they know they were about to stand against one of Australia's deadliest terror attacks.
They confronted terror and hatred face-to-face, and paid the ultimate price for their bravery. In each other's arms, Boris and Sofia embraced death, leaving behind a powerful message of resistance to terror.
The Australian media broadcast the heartbreaking and inspiring story of Boris and Sofia with emotions of anger and grief.
The Sydney Morning Herald covered the tale of this heroic Russian-Jewish couple.
On Sunday, December 14, Boris and Sofia strolled down Campbell Parade, unaware of the approaching storm. Suddenly, terrorist Sajid Akram emerged from behind the IS flag in his hatchback.
The incident was captured on a passing motorist's dashcam footage. Sixty-nine-year-old Boris tackled Sajid without hesitation. As Akram opened his car door, Boris threw him onto one of Sydney's busiest boulevard roads. Fifty-year-old terrorist Sajid Akram held a rifle. Boris managed to wrestle him down and snatch away the rifle.
Read more: 'No Better Way to Go...', Australia Salutes the Man Who Fought Back with a Brick
Nearby people began to grasp the situation. While some hid behind a bus stop, Boris held Akram's rifle aimed at him. Cars passed by, oblivious to the brink of massacre.
The video continued. Boris momentarily dominated the terrorist, controlling him with his own gun, while his wife, 61-year-old Sofia, joined the charge to overpower the armed terrorist. Their aim was unified—to seize the weapon of conspiracy.
A commotion ensued.
Eventually, the ruthless Akram overpowered Boris, attacking him and seizing another rifle.
The subsequent footage is unavailable, but another video unveils grim realities.
Post rifle seizure, Sajid shot Boris and Sofia at point-blank range. The shots were so powerful that both died, even as they were locked in a protective embrace, likely trying to shield each other from the terrorist's gunfire.
Boris and Sofia's marriage spanned 34 years, culminating in a shared final embrace.
Their family issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, expressing, "We are heartbroken by the sudden and senseless loss of our beloved Boris and Sofia Gurman."
Boris was a retired mechanic, and Sofia worked for Australia Post. Tragedy struck them first during the assault by Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram. The Bondi Beach attack claimed 15 lives, leaving over 40 injured.
Drone footage showed the Gurman couple holding each other, laying near the IS-flag-draped car, while Sajid and Naveed fired from the bridge.
The Gurman family narrated, "Boris and Sofia were deeply devoted to each other and the family." "They were the heart of our family, leaving a void that cannot be filled."
Had it not been for heroes like the Gurman couple, Ahmed Al Ahmed, and Reuven Morrison, the death toll at Bondi Beach could have been much higher.
