Eliyahu David Kay, aged 26, was reportedly shot by a Palestinian gunman while on his way to pray and he later died in Hadassah Hospital
PRETORIA – The SA Jewish Board of Deputies has expressed shock over the killing of a South African man, Eliyahu David Kay, who died in what has been labelled as a terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
“The SA Jewish Board of Deputies is shocked at the devastating news of the murder of Eliyahu David Kay, a South African man who was killed in a terror attack in Jerusalem (on Sunday) morning,” said Wendy Kahn, national director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies.
Khan said the 26-year-old Kay was a tour guide in Jerusalem.
“He was murdered by a Palestinian gunman while on his way to pray at the Western Wall (Kotel). He later died in Hadassah Hospital. The South African Jewish community is reeling from shock,” said Khan.
“Our heartfelt condolences go to his parents Avi and Devora Kay, his fiancé and his family and friends in Israel and South Africa. May his memory be a blessing. Baruch Dayan Emet.”
According to reports, the assailant, 42-year-old Fadi Abu Shkhaidem from East Jerusalem, used an automatic weapon to shoot at civilians from short-range before he was shot dead by security forces. Four more people were reportedly injured in the Jerusalem attack.
Middle East publication Haaretz reported that Kay was born and raised in Johannesburg and moved to Israel in 2017 to volunteer in the Israel Defence Forces. He had been employed as a guide for the Western Wall Heritage Foundation in the Old City of Jerusalem.
