UAE officials have caught three people linked to the death of Zvi Kogan‚ a 28-year old Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who lived in Emirates. The authorities dont plan to be soft on anyone who tries to harm social peace: they will use all legal tools to deal with such acts
The rabbi (who worked with NY-based Chabad group) went missing last thursday — his last known location was a kosher store in Dubai. Later his body was found in Al-Ain a city near Oman border. Benjamin Netanyahu called it an “anti-semitic act“; Israeli agencies joined the investigation process
Some people think Iran might be behind this but Irans embassy quickly said they had nothing to do with this case. The killing shocked local Jews who came to UAE after peace deal with Israel about 4 years ago; now many stay low-key because of mid-east problems
The Jewish life in Emirates changed since Hamas attack last fall:
- Small prayer places in Dubai closed down
- People started praying at homes instead
- Only govt-approved synagogue in Abu Dhabi stays open
- Community size is roughly few thousand people
Ayoob Kara (ex-politician from Israel) says that despite this sad event Jews will keep coming to UAE: “No way to stop this relationship and cooperation“ [[member of Israels Druze minority stated]]