Rabbi Elimelech Shapira, 43, head of the Yeshivat Hesder and pre-military academy in the Shomron community of Peduel, was murdered early this morning by terrorist gunfire at his car. His friend, with whom he was on his way to an early-morning Torah class in Bnei Brak, which they attended several times a week, was wounded by gunfire to his legs. The wounded man, who immigrated to Israel from the U.S. at the age of 13, was operated on this morning and is listed in moderate condition. Emergency workers who arrived on the scene were themselves attacked with gunfire, but continued administering medical treatment until IDF soldiers arrived on the scene. The terrorists were tracked to the nearby Arab village of Burkin.
The funeral of Rabbi Shapira, who is survived by his wife and eight children, will begin this afternoon in Peduel and end in the Segulah Cemetery in Petach Tikvah. Yonah Goodman of Peduel told Arutz-7 today that his neighbor Rabbi Shapira realized that in order to educate, he had to continue to study himself, and that his trips to Bnei Brak were for this purpose. \"He had the special ability to communicate with youth who stood at the crossroads, who were not quite sure of their future… He had a dream to establish an institute for these youths, and for others… He was very beloved for his quiet nature, his special personality - and also for his special musical abilities.\" Yonah Goodman said that the road on which the fatal attack occurred has been quiet for the last several months, \"although before that we used to have many attacks, including shootings, firebombs, and even stone blocks hurled onto our cars.\"
The funeral of Rabbi Shapira, who is survived by his wife and eight children, will begin this afternoon in Peduel and end in the Segulah Cemetery in Petach Tikvah. Yonah Goodman of Peduel told Arutz-7 today that his neighbor Rabbi Shapira realized that in order to educate, he had to continue to study himself, and that his trips to Bnei Brak were for this purpose. \"He had the special ability to communicate with youth who stood at the crossroads, who were not quite sure of their future… He had a dream to establish an institute for these youths, and for others… He was very beloved for his quiet nature, his special personality - and also for his special musical abilities.\" Yonah Goodman said that the road on which the fatal attack occurred has been quiet for the last several months, \"although before that we used to have many attacks, including shootings, firebombs, and even stone blocks hurled onto our cars.\"