Arabs Attack Jewish Neighbors

By Zalman Nelson – Lubavitch.com

Well beyond the reach of rockets, Israelis throughout the country are on higher alert after several local terrorist attacks including one in which an Arab worker yesterday stabbed his Jewish manager and several other residents in Kiryat Sefer.

On Monday morning an Arab employee with 13 years experience working in the area attacked his manager, Aryeh Deutsch, after they had a conversation about the operations in Gaza. The worker expressed his anger over the events, later taking a sledge hammer and seriously injuring Mr. Deutsch who remains in critical condition in Tel Ha’Shomer hospital outside of Tel Aviv. The worker stabbed three more residents as he dashed out the building and down a path to Rashbi Street, a major thoroughfare in the city.

“There are usually Arab worker everywhere,” said Chabad of Kiryat Sefer Director, Rabbi Mordechai Kenig, who lives in the building next door. “Yesterday they closed down the city entrance for a few hours and residents protested the lack of sufficient security. Today there are very few workers out on the streets. People are concerned. This was a trusted worker of many years from one of the nearby Arab villages.”

Also known as Modi’in Illit, the young and growing religious city of 13,000 near Tel Aviv is typically full of Arab construction workers, city sanitation employees and bus drivers.

Trying to flee the city, the Arab worker hitched a ride towards the city entrance with a local Jewish resident who knew him from his years of local work. While in the car, they were joined by a local security officer who recognized the Arab suspect and shot him when the Arab pulled out a knife.

Mr. Deutsch’s condition remains extremely serious.