Holocaust survivor who burned nurse to death is fit for trial

A Tel Aviv District Court psychiatrist concluded Wednesday that an elderly Holocaust survivor who burned a nurse to death was responsible for his actions at the time of the attack and is therefore fit to stand trial.

On March 14, 78-year-old Asher Faraj doused his local HMO clinic in the city of Holon with flammable liquid and set it alight, killing nurse Tova Kararo. The 55-year-old career nurse was declared dead at the scene by emergency workers.

Faraj told police he didn’t intend to harm anyone, but merely to cause damage to property at the clinic.

But according to the court indictment against him, Faraj became angry after the flu shot he received from Kararo last week made him feel weak and unwell. Faraj told Channel 2 news he believed he might have been poisoned.

Tova Kararo, the nurse killed by her patient on March 14, 2017. (Facebook)

Staff members said Faraj had returned to the clinic every day since his inoculation to angrily confront staff, and refused to believe them when they explained he was experiencing routine side effects of the vaccine.

Faraj fled the scene in his car, but was caught by police at the city’s exit after a chase.

Police said that in the hours immediately following the incident, Faraj was unable to explain what he had done.

Later, during questioning, he reportedly told investigators, “I didn’t want to harm anyone — only to throw a burning bottle.”

The incident prompted much of Israel’s health care, education and social work systems to shut down for two hours on the day after the attack, in protest of recent acts of violence directed at staff.

Health care officials said violence against doctors and others by angry patients and family members is a chronic issue in Israel.

According to official government figures, there were 3,000 reported cases of violence or abuse against health personnel in hospitals, clinics and emergency services between 2014 and 2016.

Approximately 75 percent of those attacks were verbal abuse. One-quarter of the attacks were physical assaults against medical staff or their security. Three-quarters of the attacks took place in hospitals, especially in emergency rooms.