As Chicago’s Palestinian community mourned the loss of a 6-year-old boy who was stabbed 26 times by his landlord in an alleged hate crime fueled by the war between Israel and Hamas, a group of rabbis attended the funeral to express their hope for peace.
Rabbi Ari Hart was one of several local Jewish leaders who came out to show support for the family of Wadea Al-Fayoume, the Palestinian-American who was allegedly attacked with a 12-inch military-style knife by owner Joseph Czuba, of 71 years old. him as he shouted: “You Muslims must die!”
Hart said it was his duty to attend the funeral and help comfort the mourners as a means of condemning the bloody murder and advocating for peace.
“We met with the Imam [muslim religious leader], heard from the father and supported the child’s community as they grieved this horrible loss,” Hart wrote in a Facebook post. “We witnessed the pain.
Rabbi Ari Hart (left) and Rabbi Hody Nemes (right) accompanied an imam as they attended the funeral of slain Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume. Ari Hart / Facebook Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, was allegedly stabbed to death 26 times by his landlord in Chicago.Family Handout
“We express our shock and condemnation of the attack. We cry,” he added.
Hart admitted that it was not easy for the group of rabbis to attend the funeral given the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, with Gaza resembling a war zone following unprecedented violence between Palestinians and Jews.
“But the murder of a six-year-old boy for his faith and his identity is not complicated. It is a heinous crime. And that’s why we went today,” Hart explained.
A Palestinian flag was placed over the small coffin of the murdered boy. Getty Images Hundreds of people came out to show their support for the family after it was revealed they were being attacked for being Muslims amid the war between Israel and Hamas. fake images
Despite the current divisions between their communities, Hart said he hoped the rabbis’ attendance would serve as a reminder that peace is not out of reach for Jews and Palestinians.
“I can’t help but try, long, and dream, even right now, about finding my way to Shalom,” he wrote. “The road to salaam. The path to peace.”
The rabbis’ visit provided hope amid the anguish of those attending the boy’s funeral, with Father Oday El-Fayoume still reeling from the fate of his son and his ex-wife, Hanaan Shahin, who was stabbed more than a dozen times and remains in the hospital.
Wadea had recently celebrated her sixth birthday. via REUTERS Joseph Czuba allegedly shouted “You Muslims must die!” and stabbed the boy 26 times. Will County Sheriff’s Office via AP
“My ex-wife and my son knew him and had a good relationship. “It’s hard to imagine this man holding a knife about to stab my son,” El-Fayoume told the Daily Beast.
“I still think my son was probably running towards him before he was stabbed, trying to give him a hug.”
The Will County Sheriff’s Office said Czuba attacked the mother and son “due to them being Muslims and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Hamas and the Israelis.”
The murder shocked the entire country and President Biden also condemned the attack as a “horrible act of hate.”
Czuba was arrested at the scene and taken to a hospital to treat a cut on his forehead. He has since been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crimes and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn