Almost one year after he was severely injured in the attack in the Har Nof Synagogue in Jerusalem, Chaim Yechiel Rothman succumbed to his wounds and passed away.
TRAGIC: A yr following the deadly Har Nof massacre a 6th victim Chaim Rothman, dies of his wounds leaving 11 orphans pic.twitter.com/DppYxiQKz3
— Israel News Flash (@ILNewsFlash) October 24, 2015
Rothman, 54 years old, had been in a coma since the attack. He was the sixth victim, including four who were killed in the attack and a Druze police officer who died one day later. He made aliyah to Israel from Toronto, Canada in 1985. Four other people besides Rothman were injured in the attack, and two policemen were injured in the ensuing battle with the terrorists.
In many compelling ways, the ax and knife attack last November 18th presaged the present wave of violence. The two terrorists were Israeli Arab citizens from East Jerusalem, as are so many of the terrorists in the recent attacks. Hamas blamed the attack on Arab anger over Israel changing the status quo on the Temple Mount and, following the attack, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in response that Israel had no intention of changing the status quo. The attack during the morning prayers left horrifying images of bloody prayer shawls and prayer books, and it has been suggested that the present wave of violence also targets religious Jews.
Rothman will be buried tonight at the Har HaMenchot-Givat Shaul Jerusalem cemetery.
