A prominent rabbi was fatally stabbed early Wednesday at his religious study hall in the central city of Netanya, and police later arrested a suspect described as one of his followers.
Rabbi Amos Guetta, 75, who headed a kollel — an institute for advanced Torah study, typically attended by married Orthodox Jewish men — was critically wounded in the attack and pronounced dead at Sanz Medical Center.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it received a report of the stabbing at about 5:45 a.m. local time. Paramedics performed resuscitation efforts while transporting Guetta to the hospital, where he died of multiple stab wounds.
According to a preliminary police investigation, the suspect is a man in his 20s who authorities believe suffers from mental illness. Investigators said he had been part of Guetta's religious circle and was among the rabbi's students or followers.
Police said the suspect apparently wanted to pray with Guetta. An argument broke out, after which the suspect allegedly stabbed the rabbi four times while he was in bed.
The suspect also allegedly attempted to stab the rabbi's assistant before fleeing. He was arrested about two hours later in central Netanya.
Police said officers were preparing to secure Guetta's funeral, which is expected to draw thousands of mourners.
The suspect arrested by police
(Photo: Israel Police)
The killing was not the first fatal attack linked to Guetta's study hall. In 2009, a student at the kollel was killed by another student.
Netanya Mayor Avi Salama paid tribute to Guetta, calling his death “a difficult morning for the city.”
“Rabbi Amos was a great Torah scholar, a beacon of light and a pillar of Torah study and kindness in Netanya,” Salama said. “For many years he guided thousands of residents, brought people together, strengthened souls and served as a source of advice and blessing for thousands of families in Israel and around the world.”
The ultra-Orthodox Shas party also expressed condolences, describing Guetta as a respected scholar of both revealed and mystical Jewish teachings who devoted decades to religious study and outreach.
The stabbing came as two other fatal attacks were reported elsewhere in Israel on Wednesday morning. Police said two people were killed in separate incidents in the northern Arab city of Shefa-Amr and near Yagur, east of Haifa. Authorities did not immediately indicate whether the cases were connected.