The United Arab Emirates announced that it had found the body of a rabbi emissary in Abu Dhabi, who had been missing since Thursday.
What happened to Zvi Kogan? This emissary to Abu Dhabi, who had Israeli and Moldovan nationality and was a representative of the Chabad movement, a religious movement of Hasidic Jews, was discovered dead. In a joint statement released on Sunday (November 24), the Israeli Prime Minister's Office and the Foreign Ministry said that Zvi Kogan's body had been located by authorities in the United Arab Emirates. “The Murder of Tzvi [Zvi] Kogan, of blessed memory, is a heinous anti-Semitic terrorist act. The State of Israel will use all means at its disposal to bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime,” we read in the press release carried by CNN.
On Saturday, the Minister of the Interior of the United Arab Emirates confirmed having received a report concerning “the Moldovan family of a man named Zvi Kogan, indicating that she had not heard from him since Thursday. The authorities added that an investigation was underway. While it is not yet clear what happened to the man on a mission to expand Judaism in the region, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned the killing, immediately calling it an “act of terrorism.” cowardly and despicable anti-Semite.” Tragically, Zvi Kogan's wife, Rivky, is an American national whose uncle, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, was himself killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
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The Ynet news site said Zvi Kogan's car was found abandoned in Al Ain, about 150 kilometers from Abu Dhabi, where he was based. The site adds, without citing sources, that traces of a struggle were detected in the vehicle. The Times of Israel explains that the authorities suspect Iran, indicating that a number of Uzbek citizens were recruited by Israel's enemy country to attack the rabbi. They then allegedly fled to Turkey.
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Israeli reactions
Zvi Kogan had founded the region's first Jewish education center and helped make kosher food widely available, according to the Chabad movement's official website. The United Arab Emirates has a small Jewish community, estimated at several thousand people. Last year, the Gulf state opened its first-ever purpose-built synagogue. Called the “House of the Abrahamic Family,” this interfaith complex also houses a mosque and a church.
Reactions in Israel were immediate after the announcement of the rabbi's death. President Isaac Herzog said he mourned “with sadness and indignation,” adding in a message on X: “This vile anti-Semitic attack is a reminder of the inhumanity of the enemies of the Jewish people. This will not stop us from continuing to develop thriving communities in the UAE or elsewhere – especially with the help of the dedicated commitment and work of Chabad emissaries around the world. » Foreign Minister Israel Katz, for his part, wrote that “Israel will not rest or remain silent until those responsible for this criminal act pay for their actions.” “The State of Israel mourns the death of Rabbi Zvi Kogan,” responded opposition leader Yair Lapid, calling the murder an “anti-Semitic terrorist incident” and promising that the United Arab Emirates and Israel would cooperate. in the investigation.
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Following the incident, Israel's National Security Council reiterated its warning to travelers to the United Arab Emirates, saying there remained a threat against Israelis and Jews in the country.
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