Israel Returns Bodies of Har Nof Terrorists to Families
Israeli man mourns the killings at a synagogue in the Har Nof section of Jerusalem. Image by naomi zeveloff
Israel returned the bodies of two terrorists who killed five worshippers in an attack on a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem.
The bodies were transferred to their families on Thursday, more than a month after attack during morning worship services at Bnei Torah Kehillat Yaakov, which left four rabbis and a police officer dead.
The two terrorists, Palestinian cousins Uday and Ghassan Abu Jamal, were buried shortly after the transfer in a West Bank cemetery and not in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber where they had lived. The speedy interment was required by Israel, the Palestinian Maan news agency reported.
Only 40 relatives were allowed to attend the funeral and the families paid a $5,000 deposit to insure that they adhered to Israel’s stipulations.
Following the attack, Israel’s Interior Ministry revoked the residency permit of Ghassan Abu Jamal’s widow, requiring her to leave Israeli territory and stripping her of any financial benefits she receives from the state. Demolition orders also have been issued for the homes of both terrorists.
"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
