The Jewish world is in shock and mourning following the murder of Rabbi Tzvi Kogan, a 28-year-old Chabad shliach in the United Arab Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi. Rabbi Kogan was well-known for his dedication to the Jewish community there and those passing through.
Rabbi Kogan went missing last Thursday, and over the weekend, Jews around the world prayed for his safety. Unfortunately, after Shabbos it was confirmed that he had been murdered. He was buried on Monday in Kfar Chabad, Israel.
The UAE announced on Sunday that it had arrested three citizens of Uzbekistan for the crime. They had reportedly fled the country and were captured in a different country and extradited, though the identity of that country has not yet been made public. Early reports, including from Israeli officials, suggested that they had fled to Turkey.
Before Rabbi Kogan’s body was found, Israeli officials suggested that Iran was behind the murder, which Iranian officials denied. Iran has been accused of previous kidnappings in the UAE.
Among other countries, the UAE, the US and Moldova—Rabbi Kogan was a dual Israeli-Moldovan citizen—issued statements condemning the murder.
UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba said, “Today the UAE mourns for Rabbi Zvi Kogan. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and community over his senseless death. Zvi Kogan’s murder was more than a crime in the UAE—it was a crime against the UAE. It was an attack on our homeland, on our values and on our vision. In the UAE, we welcome everyone. We embrace peaceful coexistence. We reject extremism and fanaticism of every kind. We honor Zvi Kogan’s memory by recommitting ourselves to these values. Now, we are more determined than ever to protecting and sustaining the Emirates as a shining and enduring example of diversity, acceptance and peace.”
In previous statements, the UAE had repeatedly referred to Rabbi Kogan as “the Moldovan citizen” and ignored his Israeli citizenship, despite the UAE-Israel ties due to the Abraham Accords. And while Israel has called the murder an “anti-Semitic terrorist attack,” the UAE’s statements about the attack have not mentioned motives or referred to it as more than a murder—though the ambassador’s statement alluded to “extremism and fanaticism.”
The UAE ambassador to Israel told Ami that he could not comment on the murder, as public communications from the UAE government are carefully crafted by the government. Jewish residents of the UAE reported receiving condolence texts from the government this week.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu made a statement that explicitly acknowledged Rabbi Kogan’s Israeli citizenship and his Jewishness: “We mourn the tragic loss of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Moldovan-Israeli citizen killed in the UAE, and strongly condemn this hateful act. Hate has no place in our world. Our thoughts are with his family, the Jewish community, and all who grieve. We are in contact with Israel and the UAE.”
Jews of all backgrounds from around the world expressed their horror and grief at the murder and mentioned their appreciation of the work that Chabad shluchim do for Jews in countries around the globe. Jared Kushner—one of the architects of the Abraham Accords—and his wife Ivanka Trump said that they would be donating $1 million to Chabad of the UAE in Rabbi Kogan’s memory, and his brother Joshua responded that he and his wife would match that amount as well.
At the levayah, it was announced that the Chabad shluchim would be working to create a building in the UAE in honor of Rabbi Kogan, to continue the work he had done there.
Rabbi Kogan’s father, Rabbi Alexander Kogan, was the last speaker at the levayah, and he spoke at length about the love that his son had shown to his family and everyone around him and the love that he received from everyone who met him. His father noted that Tzvi’s passing at a young age should be seen as a sign that Hashem knew the younger Rabbi Kogan’s mission in this world had been completed. But despite that, the love that he gave to others and inspired in them, which was snuffed out by hatred, will continue to be mourned.
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