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More than $186,000 donated to family of Israeli man shot dead in parking dispute

As many as 3,200 people donated online to the family of Ofir Hasdai, who was killed outside the Azrieli shopping mall in Ramle.

Ofir Hasdai. Credit: Courtesy of the Hasdai family.
Ofir Hasdai. Credit: Courtesy of the Hasdai family.

As many as 3,200 people donated to an online fundraising campaign for the disabled wife and three daughters who survive Ofir Hasdai, 40, who was shot dead after getting into an argument over a parking space at the Azrieli shopping mall in the Israeli city of Ramle.

As of early Tuesday, more than $186,000 had been donated online to the surviving family members.

Hasdai was parking in a handicapped spot at the mall on Sunday because his wife suffers from muscular dystrophy. A fight ensued with another driver over the parking space, ending with gunfire and the arrest of 74-year-old Victor Katan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the public to support the family, posting on Facebook that “there is no place for violence among us; we will not tolerate it.”

He also posted the bank details of Hasdai family in order to donate directly.

“It’s a great victory for the First Amendment right to free speech, including the right to draw attention to bigotry and hateful speech,” Paul Eckles, of the Brandeis Center, told JNS. “We commend our client for having the courage to speak out.”
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