Rabbi Zvi Kogan
The three men are thought to have carried out the killing at Iran’s orders.
This year’s gathering in New York City took on new meaning, taking place just a week after the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan. It inspired them to do more to reach Jewish communities, near and far.
Separately, an Israeli backpacker was reportedly assaulted by four Germans in northern Thailand.
The U.S. secretary “commended the swift actions taken by the UAE’s law enforcement authorities in response to the murder,” per the State Department readout.
“Our hearts and prayers are with his wife—a native New Yorker—his entire family and the Jewish community who is grieving right now,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“History has shown that those who embrace the Jewish people benefit, and those who persecute the Jewish people ultimately face spectacular defeat,” the president-elect’s son-in-law wrote.
Thousands, including Israeli government ministers, traveled to Kfar Chabad to attend the ceremony.
“This was a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance and coexistence,” the White House National Security Council said.
The United Arab Emirates “strongly rejects any threat to societal security as Emirati authorities arrest perpetrators in Moldovan citizen’s murder in record time,” it stated.
“The murder of Zvi Kogan, of blessed memory, is a heinous act of antisemitic terrorism. The State of Israel will utilize all available means to bring the perpetrators to justice,” said the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and Foreign Ministry.
Israeli security officials reportedly said that Chabad emissary Zvi Kogan was followed in his kosher supermarket in Abu Dhabi.
