Earlier this week heard the shocking news that Rabbi Kogan of Chabad of the UAE had been kidnapped by terrorists in Dubai.
We prayed and held on to a glimmer of hope that a miracle would still occur,but unfortunately this morning we learned that his body had been found after he was brutally murdered,
Rabbi Zvi Kogan - Zvi ben Alexander HaKohen, was just 28 years old when he was kidnapped and murdered and leaves behind his wife and siblings, and family members.
His wife who is from New York, is the niece of the late Rabbi Gabi Holtzberg of Chabad of Mumbai who was murdered in the 2008 terrorist attack.
Our daughter Chana is a good friend of the sister of the wife, and their family are a well known family, originally from London.
It was hard to keep moving through the day today, painful and emotional every time we think about this, yet the morning Minyan happened, Hebrew School full of dozens of happy kids and lots more has already happened, and soon, the Bar Mitzvah Club is coming at 5pm and then the Teen event at 7pm. The light must burn even brighter than ever!!
Rabbi Zvi, inspired by the Rebbe's message, dedicated his life to sharing light and meaning with those around him, yet today he has fallen in the line of duty in a brutal and cruel manner.
His light and the message and values he represent will never go out and we are committed to making sure we respond with even more acts of kindness and goodness, as we pray that the authorities and relevant parties do what they need to do, to bring accountability to the murderers and their backers.
Please do an extra mitzvah to honor his memory and make sure that the vile evil of antisemitism, doesn't harm our collective resilience and determination to continue to make the world be a world of goodness and kindness, even as we absorb these painful wounds.
We send our condolences to Rebbetzin Rivky, the entire Chabad family, and to the Jewish nation, Am Yisroel.
Today we are all in a lot of pain, and we will cry and grieve, but we will regroup and make sure that we shine brighter than ever before.
You can read more about this story over here
Am Yisrael Chai!