The body of Tzvi Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, was found dead by Emirati authorities.
This murder “is a heinous act of anti-Semitic terrorism”, affirmed the government of Benjamin Netanyahu
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“A heinous act of anti-Semitic terrorism”. It is with these words that Benjamin Netanyahu described the murder of Tzvi Kogan. The body of this Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, who has been missing since Thursday in the Emirates where he was based, was found lifeless by the Emirati authorities, the Israeli government said this morning.
Married for six months according to Israeli media, Rabbi Tzvi Kogan was an emissary of Chabad Lubavitch, an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic movement with a global missionary commitment aimed at strengthening Jewish identity and bringing Jews closer to their faith. In a message on X where he expresses his “great pain“above a photo of the rabbi, Chabad Lubavitch claims he was”murdered by terrorists after being kidnapped on Thursday“.
“Let those responsible for his death answer for their actions”
For their part, the Emirati authorities have observed extreme discretion regarding this murder which they have not commented on. On Saturday, they indicated that they had “immediately launched search operations” to find Tzvi Kogan, whom they then presented as Moldovan, without mentioning his Israeli nationality. The Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was in contact with the Emirati authorities “in order to clarify the circumstances of this matter“, referring to the disappearance, but not the death, of Tzvi Kogan.
“The State of Israel will use all means at its disposal to ensure that justice is done and those responsible for his death are held accountable“, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government warned on Sunday. No details were provided on where the body was found, nor on the circumstances of the murder or the identity of the suspects. Mossad, the Israeli security service foreign intelligence, opened an investigation.
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A federation of seven emirates tightly controlled by the ruling family, the Emirates pride themselves on being a tolerant and safe country. The rich oil state, whose overwhelming majority of the population is made up of expatriates, last year inaugurated an interreligious center in the capital, Abu Dhabi, housing a mosque, a church and a synagogue.
