Rabbi Amos Guetta, a well-known rabbi in Netanya, was stabbed to death on Wednesday inside a yeshiva on Shimon Bar Yochai Street in the city following morning prayers.
According to initial investigations, the suspect came to the yeshiva to pray with the rabbi. At the time, several former criminals who had returned to religious observance were also sitting around the rabbi. They regularly visited the site and were part of his inner circle.
At some point, an argument broke out between the two men. According to preliminary information received by Israel Police, the suspect lost control, pulled out a knife, ran toward the rabbi and stabbed him four times. Investigators are now trying to determine how a brief argument turned into murder within seconds.
The suspect, who is apparently mentally unstable and known to police, was reportedly part of the rabbi’s circle, and the two had previously met each other during a rehabilitation process.
Immediately after the stabbing, the suspect fled the scene, and large police forces launched a manhunt. Forensic investigators are also collecting evidence from inside the yeshiva and attempting to reconstruct the minutes leading up to the stabbing. At this stage, the incident is believed to be criminal in nature.
Israel Police later announced that they had arrested a suspect in the murder case. The suspect is a Netanya resident in his 20s and has been taken in for questioning, the police stated.
The initial report was received by Magen David Adom at 5:45 a.m. Medical teams who arrived at the scene found Guetta unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing, with severe penetrative wounds. They fought to save his life at the scene and continued resuscitation efforts while transporting him to Laniado Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
MDA paramedics said: “We saw the wounded man unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing, with severe penetrative wounds to his body. We provided life-saving medical treatment, including prolonged resuscitation efforts, and evacuated him to the hospital in critical condition while fighting to save his life.”
The murder shocked many people across the country, as the rabbi was a highly respected figure who played a significant role in helping many of them return to religious observance and devoted considerable time to counseling them.
In addition to those who had become religious, members of the Libyan Jewish community regularly visited the rabbi and sought his advice, as he was highly knowledgeable in Jewish law.
The rabbi himself had returned to religious observance decades ago after studying medicine. Following his return to religion, he gave up his medical studies and devoted himself to Torah study and helping others.
“This is a disaster. An unbelievable tragedy,” a young man who was well acquainted with the rabbi’s circle told Maariv.
Chief rabbis, Shas Party, Netanya mayor, mourn murdered rabbi
“Together with the entire House of Israel, including thousands of his students and listeners, I mourn bitterly and with a torn heart the shocking passing of the righteous Kabbalist Rabbi Amos Guetta,” Chief Rabbi of Israel and President of the Chief Rabbinate Council, Rabbi Kalman Meir Bar, announced.
“Rabbi Amos was a unique role model in the city of Netanya. For decades of spiritual leadership, he served as a beacon and a pillar of strength for the multitudes of the city’s residents, who flocked to him daily to seek blessings, wise advice, and resourcefulness. He was privileged to combine the simple and the secret, and to combine immense and extraordinary knowledge of the Torah’s mysteries with great acts of kindness and ardent and vibrant worship of God.
“May the Lord of Comfort heal the great and terrible breach that has broken us, send healing and comfort to his family and disciples, and may we soon be worthy to see the consolation of Zion and the building of Jerusalem, and may there no longer be any sound of violence in our land, robbery and destruction on our borders,” the chief rabbi said.
Rabbi David Yosef, the Rishon LeZion Chief Rabbi of Israel and President of the Great Rabbinical Court, also reacted to Guetta’s murder, calling him “one of the last of the highest people, a servant of God with devotion and innocence, whose entire days were dedicated to the propagation of Torah, the service of God, and the bringing of Israel closer to their Father in Heaven.
“With his illuminating personality, humility, and exalted qualities, he shone his light on thousands, and raised up many disciples. For decades, he served as a spiritual beacon for the residents of Netanya and the surrounding area, even during the lifetime of the great Rabbi Shimon Gabbay, when they worked together to bring hearts closer and to raise the ray of Torah in the city of Netanya, and his blessed influence was evident in all his actions.”
Rabbi Yosef also expressed his condolences to Guetta’s extended family,
The Shas Party also expressed grief over the rabbi’s death, calling it “bitter news,” and mourning him as the “rabbi of Libyan Jewry and Rosh Yeshiva of Rabbi Yitzhak Chai Taib in Netanya.”
Netanya Mayor Avi Slama announced that “With great sadness and great pain, I received the bitter news of the passing of the holy Kabbalist, Rabbi Amos Guetta, a tremendous scholar, who was a great light and pillar of Torah and kindness in the city.
“For many years,” Slama said, “he illuminated the path of tens of thousands of residents, brought hearts closer, strengthened souls, and was a source of advice, blessing, and salvation for families in Israel and around the world.”
Two additional murders bring morning’s total to three
Earlier Wednesday morning, MDA teams were called to the scene of a shooting in Shfaram, where they found a 24-year-old man with penetrative wounds and no signs of life. They were forced to pronounce him dead. He was later identified as Ali Sawaed, a resident of the city.
Police opened an investigation and began searching for suspects. Police also said the incident was believed to be criminal in nature, and that the circumstances were under investigation.
MDA paramedics said: “We saw the wounded man lying unconscious and suffering from severe penetrative wounds to his body. We performed medical examinations, but unfortunately, his injuries were significant, and we had no choice but to pronounce him dead.”
Less than an hour later, a 25-year-old man was also shot dead in Yagur.
Another paramedic said that “We saw a man about 25 years old unconscious inside a vehicle and suffering from severe penetrative wounds to his body. We performed medical examinations, but he had suffered significant injuries, and we were forced to pronounce him dead.”
Police forces arrived at the scene and opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident. It was reported that the incident was apparently criminally motivated.
Against this backdrop, Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy convened a special meeting on Monday with the police’s senior command staff to examine the continued fight against organized crime and the wave of violence in Arab society.
The meeting was held after five people were murdered in less than 12 hours at four separate scenes in Taiba, Kalansuwa, Jaffa, and Holon, in a series of incidents suspected of being connected to disputes between criminal organizations and families.
Efrat Forsher contributed to this report.
