Reuven 'Motti' Shmerling
Reuven 'Motti' ShmerlingElkana Local Council

A Jewish man from Samaria who was murdered by Arab terrorists ahead of the Sukkot holiday has been officially recognized by the state as a victim of terror.

Reuven Shmerling, a resident of the western Samaria town of Elkana, was founded murdered in a warehouse used by Shmerling’s business in the industrial zone of Kfar Qasim, an Israeli-Arab town not far from Elkana.

Shmerling’s son Shai, also a resident of Elkana, found him beaten and stabbed to death in the warehouse just hours before the beginning of the Sukkot holiday on October 4th. Shmerling’s 4 children and 19 grandchildren had gathered at his house for the holiday and to celebrate his 70th birthday that evening.

On Sunday, the Defense Ministry announced that Shmerling had been officially recognized as a victim of terror, ensuring that his family will receive benefits from the National Insurance Institute.

Last week, the Shin Bet internal security agency announced that it had captured two terrorists suspected in Shmerling’s murder. The two are residents of the PA-controlled town of Qabatiya in northern Samaria, and were arrested a day after the murder in a joint operation of the Shin Bet, Israel Police, and IDF.

While police had initially suggested the murder may have been related to a business dispute, evidence gathered from the scene and statements by the suspects during interrogation indicated that the murder was in fact a premeditated terror attack.

Some 1,200 people gathered in the Elkana cemetery on October 6th to lay Shmerling to rest. He is survived by his wife, Hana, 4 children, and 19 grandchildren.