Rabbi Yishai Por, aged 52, was murdered on Wednesday as he sat studying Torah in a synagogue on Maharshal Street in Bnei Brak.
Eyewitnesses say that the assailant, who is apparently mentally unwell, entered the synagogue building, pulled out a sharp object, and stabbed the victim several times in front of his son.
Emergency medical crews dispatched to the scene provided care to the victim, who was critically wounded, and evacuated him to a hospital while performing CPR. The doctors fought for an hour to save him, but were forced to pronounce him dead.
Yechiel Goldman, operations officer for ZAKA, said that “the scenes inside the synagogue were extremely difficult: the holy books and study benches were stained with blood. ZAKA volunteers, operating under these circumstances with deep reverence, are cooperating with investigators from the forensic identification division of the Israel Police and assisting in collecting the many evidentiary and forensic findings left at the scene."
The police opened an investigation into the incident and have apprehended a suspect.