By Victor Ochieng
A 35-year-old Israeli Rabbi was shot dead on January 9, 2018 in a drive-by shooting that targeted his vehicle. The shooting took place on the main highway in Judea and Samaria.
Rabbi Raziel Shevach, a father of six, served as a volunteer at Magen David Adom and at a Jewish Bible Society (Chevra Kadisha). Police officers were alerted of the shooting, and upon arriving at the scene, they found a man inside his car with bullet wounds. His car’s windshield had been destroyed by bullets.
Shevach’s wife said, “He called me and said, ‘They have shot me. Order an ambulance.'” The IDF is still working in the area to establish who may have killed the Rabbi. Friends remember the father of six as a “family man who always wanted to help,” Ynet/Ha’aretz reports.
He was a mohel (a person trained in undertaking circumcision).
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman relayed his condolences to the family of the Rabbi, The Jerusalem Post reports. In his letter, Friedman offered condolences on behalf of the American people for the sudden loss of an “extraordinary person more concerned with others than with himself. He epitomized the hard-working, dedicated individuals who have built and sustained the State of Israel.”
The letter, which was addressed to Shevach’s wife, started with the paragraph: “On behalf of the United States, I offer our nation’s heartfelt condolences upon the tragic murder of your husband and father, Rabbi Raziel Shevach.”
It continued, “I was alerted to Rav Shevach’s passing this past Wednesday, shortly before boarding a plane for a brief trip to the United States. Upon landing and restoring my email, I had already received countless communications extolling the virtues of this very special man,” adding, “As an emergency first responder, mohel and a revered teacher, Rav Shevach clearly was an extraordinary person more concerned with others than with himself. He epitomized the hard-working, dedicated individuals who have built and sustained the State of Israel.”
Friedman went further to praise Rav Shevach as a caring father and husband. “You, Yael, and your six children will always be a lasting legacy of this sacred life that ended far too soon,” read the letter.
He pointed out that he had have wanted to deliver the words personally during shiva (first week of mourning), but couldn’t make it because of his tight schedule.
Shevach was laid to rest the following day, January 10, in a ceremony that was graced by government ministers, the chief Rabbi among many other religious and communal leaders.
Let’s all remember the family of the Rabbi in our prayers. Among his six children was an 8-month old baby.
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