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Death of Zvi Kogan

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Rabbi
Rabbi Zvi Kogan
הרב צבי קוגן הי"ד ‎
Personal
Born1995 or 1996
Moldova
Diedc. (aged 28)
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
ReligionJudaism
NationalityIsraeli and Moldovan
SpouseRivky Kogan
Parent(s)Alexander and Etel
Alma materChabad and Litvish Yeshivos
OccupationAssistant to the Chief Rabbi of the UAE
Buried2024 Har Hamenuchot
ResidenceAbu Dhabi, UAE
Semikhah770

Zvi Kogan (Hebrew: צבי קוגן, 1995 or 1996 – c. 21 November 2024) was an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi in the United Arab Emirates who disappeared on 21 November 2024. He was an envoy of the Orthodox Jewish organization Chabad.[1][2] On 24 November 2024, a body was found and confirmed to be that of Kogan.[3]

Background

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Kogan was born in Moldova and later raised in Jerusalem to a Lithuanian-Haredi family with his brother, Reuven.[4][5] Before moving to the UAE, he served in the Israel Defense Forces' Givati Brigade.[6][7] Kogan and his wife, Rivky, a U.S. citizen, were married in 2022. She then joined him in Abu Dhabi.[8] She is the niece of Gavriel Noach Holtzberg, who was murdered in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.[9]

Work in Abu Dhabi

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Kogan was a representative of Chabad's Abu Dhabi chapter since the UAE normalized diplomatic relations with Israel in the Abraham Accords in 2020. He worked to explain Judaism and disprove myths and stereotypes about the religion.[10] He was an assistant to Chief Rabbi of the UAE Levi Duchman.[11] He also managed a Kosher supermarket, Rimon, in Dubai.[12][13] Chabad stated that he "worked to expand Jewish life in the UAE" with Duchman through ways that included ensuring the availability of kosher food and opening the country's first Jewish education center.[9]

In 2021, he led a Yizkor prayer during the UAE's first Holocaust remembrance day memorial.[11]

Abduction and murder

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Before his abduction, Kogan was last seen at the kosher supermarket he managed in Dubai. He failed to attend scheduled meetings and lost contact with his wife, leading her to alert a Chabad security chief, who notified local authorities.[5] The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced his disappearance on 23 November 2024 in a statement on behalf of Mossad, and said that Israeli security and intelligence services were investigating the incident.[14][15] It sparked a joint investigation from Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and Emirati authorities.[16] Kogan had been missing since the afternoon of 21 November 2024, however Kogan's family said that he stopped contacting them the day prior.[12] Mossad led the investigation into his disappearance, treating it as a terrorist incident.[17] An Israeli delegation arrived to the UAE to aid the investigation.[18]

Kogan's car and phone were found abandoned in Al Ain, 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Dubai and Abu Dhabi.[19] It is believed that Kogan was being followed by three Uzbeks while he drove to the city after leaving Rimon, the supermarket that he managed. The Uzbeks, thought to have been part of an Iranian cell, are suspected of kidnapping and killing him and then fleeing to Turkey.[18] His body was discovered on 24 November 2024. He was 28.[8] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he was "deeply shocked" by the killing and vowed that all means would be used to bring the killers, and "those who dispatched them", to justice.[20] President Isaac Herzog also condemned the killing.[21] The murder occurred as Iran has threatened to retaliate to Israeli airstrikes on its territory on 26 October that took place during a period of heightened tensions between the two countries.[22] The Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates announced the arrest of three people suspected in his killing on 24 November.[23][24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Reports: Body found amid searches for Chabad rabbi missing in UAE; identification tests underway | The Times of Israel". The Times of Israel.
  2. ^ "Rabbi Zvi Kogan was murdered in UAE, Israel says". BBC News. November 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed". Washington Post. 2024-11-24.
  4. ^ מנחם (2024-11-23). "חשד לחטיפה או רצח: שליח הרבי באבו דאבי הרב צבי קוגן נעלם". חב"ד אינפו (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  5. ^ a b "Missing Chabad-Lubavitch emissary may have been followed". Israel National News. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  6. ^ אייכנר, איתמר; ארי, ליאור בן; פריד, שילֹה (2024-11-23). "שירת בגבעתי, שימש כעוזר הרב הראשי בדובאי: זהו שליח חב"ד שגובר החשש שנרצח". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  7. ^ "Chabad emissary to UAE Zvi Kogan murdered in 'antisemitic terrorist attack'". Chabad.org. 2024-11-24. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  8. ^ a b "Rabbi Zvi Kogan, 28, Murdered by Terrorists". The Jerusalem Post. 2024-11-24. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  9. ^ a b "Body of slain Chabad rabbi found in UAE; Israel condemns 'antisemitic act of terror'". The Times of Israel. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Israel intelligence investigating rabbi's disappearance in United Arab Emirates as 'terrorist incident'". UPI. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  11. ^ a b "Chabad rabbi missing in Abu Dhabi, feared kidnapped or murdered". The Times of Israel. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  12. ^ a b Eichner, Itamar (2024-11-23). "Chabad emissary reported missing in UAE, feared abducted or dead in terror plot". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  13. ^ Lynch, Niamhie (2024-11-24). "Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE - as Israeli PM says he was murdered in 'antisemitic terror incident'". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  14. ^ "Israeli-Moldovan rabbi living in UAE is missing. Israeli officials fear he may have been kidnapped". AP News. 2024-11-23. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  15. ^ "Mossad investigating disappearance of rabbi in Abu Dhabi in potential terror incident, Israeli PM's office says". Sky News. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  16. ^ "Rabbi Zvi Kogan was murdered in UAE, Israel says". BBC News. 2024-11-23. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  17. ^ "Mossad investigating missing Chabad emissary in Dubai, may have been under Iranian surveillance". The Jerusalem Post. 2024-11-23. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  18. ^ a b Eichner, Itamar (2024-11-23). "Missing Chabad emissary's car found abandoned; suspected killed by Iran-linked cell". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  19. ^ "Report: Missing rabbi's car found abandoned near Abu Dhabi". The Times of Israel. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Netanyahu vows: 'None of Rabbi Zvi Kogan's murderers will get away'". Israel National News. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed". AP News. 2024-11-24. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  22. ^ "Israeli rabbi kidnapped in UAE, sparking fears of Iran's involvement". Iran International. 2024-11-23. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  23. ^ "UAE arrests 3 suspects in killing of Chabad rabbi". Reuters – via Ynet.
  24. ^ Goldberg, Yitz (2024-11-24). "UAE Interior Ministry: Murderers of Rabbi Zvi Kogan arrested". Israel National News. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
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