Terrorists gun down rabbi’s next of kin

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Two armed Palestinians killed five men during morning prayers in a West Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday morning, according to news reports.  

One of the victims, Rabbi Moshe Twersky, had a sister in Riverdale, Tzipporah Rosenblatt. She is married to Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt of the Riverdale Jewish Center (RJC).

The two attackers entered the synagogue in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood around 7 a.m. with guns, knives and axes, according to reports, resulting in a gun battle between police who arrived at the scene. Two officers were wounded in the exchange, one of whom was killed.

Reports identified the other three synagogue victims as Rabbi Kalman Levine, 55, Aryeh Kupinsky, 43, and Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, 68. About a dozen other worshipers were injured in the attack. 

RJC Assistant Rabbi Yitzi Genack and President Samson Fine issued a joint statement to the community on the center’s website saying, “We are reeling from the news of today’s barbaric attack in Jerusalem. With broken hearts, we extend our condolences to the families of all the victims.  

As of Tuesday evening, authorities were still investigating the motives behind the attack.

According to reports, Rabbi Twersky’s father was a well-known Boston rabbi named Isadore Twersky, who passed away in 1997. 

A vigil was planned at the Riverdale Jewish Center at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, but was closed to media.

Area elected officials condemned the attack.

Rep. Eliot Engel, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Councilman Andrew Cohen issued statements decrying the Tuesday incident.

Mr. Engel, the ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee, called the killings an outrage.

“Once again, an act of terrorism hits home for our community,” the congressman stated. “No family anywhere should have to endure such a tragedy.”

Rabbi Steven Exler of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, said that the recent violence in Jerusalem was troubling since the synagogue is supposed to be a safe haven. 

“Our hearts are totally bound up,” he said. “This is sort of a new effort of hatred and violence.” 

“In addition to the loss [to] the greater Jewish community, there is a loss within our Riverdale community,” he added. “That’s deeply, deeply troubling.” 

Tanisia Morris contributed reporting.

Rabbi Moshe Twersky, Synagogue Attack, Violence, Jerusalem, Maya Rajamani, Shant Shahrigian, Tanisia Morris