Local Officials Respond To Horrific Murder Of Rabbi Tzvi Kogan Hy"d

By Idy Perl

Over the weekend Klal Yisroel was horrified to hear about the kidnapping of Rabbi Tzvi Kogan, the Chabad shliach of the UAE, who had been missing since last Thursday. 

Early Sunday morning Israeli officials confirmed that Rabbi Kogan had been murdered, plunging Klal Yisroel into a state of mourning. 

Several local officials released statements condemning the tragedy and reaffirming their commitment to the safety of the local Jewish community. 

Mayor Eric Adams wrote: “I am absolutely devastated to learn about the barbaric and senseless murder of Chabad Shaliach Rabbi Zvi Kogan. Our hearts and prayers are with his wife — a native New Yorker — his entire family, and the Jewish community who is grieving right now. This is yet another jarring reminder of how it is dangerous to simply be Jewish in many parts of the world — New York City will never be one of those places."

Governor Kathy Hochul wrote: "I am horrified by the abduction and murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan. My heart is with his family and the Jewish community. May his memory be a blessing. This heinous act of antisemitism is a painful reminder that we must continue to fight it wherever it rears its ugly head."

Attorney General Letitia James: "I am deeply disturbed by the news of the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan. This is an unspeakable act of violent antisemitism. My prayers are with his family, and the entire Lubavitch and Chabad community in Brooklyn and across the world. May his memory be a blessing."

Jews around the world are responding to this horrific murder by increasing mitzvos and maasim tovim in his memory, bringing even more light to a world overshadowed by darkness.

photo by: Yossi Fajnland/Chabad.org