Old City’s Square of Heroism honors Rabbi Nehemiah Lavi and Aaron Bennett, killed in a 2015 Palestinian stabbing attack.
By: Gil Tanenbaum
The Square of Heroism in Jerusalem was inaugurated today and will be named after the late Rabbi Nehemiah Lavi and Aaron Bennett. The two men were murdered sixteen years ago in a stabbing attack in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.
The inauguration of the square took place on Sunday at the intersection of Al Wad (Hagai) streets, and Hoya Dela Rosa in the Old City, in the presence of the Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Leon and the families of the two men.
At around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening October 3, 2015, a knife-wielding Arab attacked Aharon Bennett, his wife, their 2-year-old son, and infant as they were on their way to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City. Rabbi Lavi, an Old City resident and IDF reserve officer, came by with his gun to try and help but was stabbed by the terrorist who seized his weapon. Lavi and Bennett were both stabbed in the upper body and died in the hospital.
Rabbi Lavi was the father of seven and lived in the Old City for the 23 years before his death. He was a rabbi at Yeshivat Ateret Kohanim.
Rabbi Lavi was buried in the Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem. He was survived by his wife and seven children.
The Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon said, “The inauguration of Heroes’ Square is a symbol of courage and a sign of appreciation for the murdered, who defended their bodies and paid for it with their lives. The city of Jerusalem salutes their heroism. Jerusalem and its inhabitants, the capital of Israel and its people, is our pride.”
Aryeh Koenig, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, said, “It is our duty to pass on to future generations Jewish heroism, the building of a healthy Jewish soul, in addition to building Jerusalem in spirit and on a physical level.”
In a somewhat related development, World Israel News reported that Israel’s Supreme Court rejected on Monday morning a request to exhume the body of IDF soldier Staff Sgt. Amit Ben-Yigal, filed by the attorneys representing Nizmi Abu Bakar, the Palestinian charged with the murder of Ben-Yigal in May 2020, Maariv reported.
Ben-Yigal was killed when a rock allegedly thrown by Abu Bakar hit his head during operational activity in the village of Ya’bad, west of Jenin in northern Samaria.
According to Bakar’s attorneys, the helmet worn by Ben-Yigal during the incident is evidence that could potentially exonerate their client.
The court, however, did not agree and outright rejected the controversial request.
In an interview given to 103 FM Radio later on Monday, Ben-Yigal’s father congratulated the decision. “The court has prevented unnecessary suffering from 23,745 bereaved families,” he said.
(Sources: TPS & WIN)
