Rabbi Achiad Ettinger, the head of a yeshivah in Tel Aviv and father of 12 who was critically wounded in a terrorist attack on Sunday near Ariel, Israel, died of his wounds today. The attack also claimed the life of Staff Sgt. Gal Keidan, a 19-year-old soldier, and left a second soldier in serious condition.
Ettinger was shot in the head and neck by Omar Abu Laila, 19, as the rabbi drove by Ariel Junction according to authorities. The terrorist had stabbed Keidan, then stole his gun and opened fire on passing cars. Relatives of Ettinger said that despite having been shot and bleeding profusely, he turned his car around and fired four bullets in the direction of the attacker, who managed to escape in a vehicle abandoned by a fleeing driver.
The terrorist remained at large as of Monday afternoon.
Ettinger was rushed to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikvah in critical condition and doctors worked throughout the night to save his life before he succumbed to his injuries.
For the past three years, Ettinger was the head of the Oz v’Emunah yeshivah in the Neve Sha’anan neighborhood of southern Tel Aviv. The rabbi’s family thanked “all the staff at Beilinson Hospital, the Magen David Adom teams, the Samaria security division and everyone who prayed for his recovery."
Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin said that “Rabbi Ettinger’s life’s work will continue with us even after his passing, and the strength he gave his students and the community he led will continue to strengthen us through this enormous grief and sorrow.”
The funeral procession for Ettinger is scheduled to leave his home town of Eli at 2 p.m. and pass through Ariel Junction, where the attack took place, before concluding at the Segula cemetery in Petach Tikvak.
Staff Sgt. Keidan was laid to rest on Monday morning in his hometown of Beersheva.
The third victim of the attack, IDF soldier Alexander Dvorsky from Nazareth Illit, remains in serious condition at Beilinson Hospital.
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