PM vows to bring to justice those behind murder of Jewish man in Kafr Qassem

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to bring to justice those responsible for the suspected Wednesday murder of a Jewish man in the Israeli Arab city of Kafr Qassem, as police and the Shin Bet continue their investigation of the killing amid a court-imposed gag order.

In a Facebook post on Thursday evening, Netanyahu offered his condolences to the family of Reuven Schmerling, 69, from the West Bank settlement of Elkana, who was found lifeless in the city’s industrial zone Wednesday afternoon, hours before the start of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

“I would like to send my condolences to the Schmerling family and the Elkana community over the murder of the Reuven Schmerling. We will do everything to bring to justice those who committed this shocking murder. May his memory be a blessing,” Netanyahu wrote.

Schmerling was found lifeless on Wednesday afternoon in Kafr Qassem’s industrial zone with “signs of violence” on the body, police said. Initial reports indicated he had been stabbed repeatedly. Schmerling was set to celebrate his 70th birthday on Thursday.

The father of four owned a coal business in Kafr Qassem, about a half-hour drive from Elkana. His body was found in one of the business’s storage units by his son, who alerted police and emergency services.

The motive for the suspected murder was still being investigated as the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, joined the probe. Security forces said they were looking at all possible avenues, including a possible work-related row between Schmerling and his workers.

The Shin Bet said it was also checking whether the suspected murder was perpetrated for nationalistic reasons.

Schmerling will be laid to rest on Friday in the settlement’s community cemetery. A funeral service will be held at the Moreshet Yehudit Synagogue beforehand.

The family will be begin the traditional period of Jewish mourning, known as shiva, at the conclusion of the Sukkot holiday next Thursday evening.

In a statement on Thursday, the Schmerling family said it was “shocked and overwhelmed by the murder of our beloved husband, father and grandfather.”

“For the ailing family, there is no doubt that this despicable murder was committed on nationalistic grounds,” the statement read, echoing statements made Wednesday by the head of the Elkana local council.

Schmerling, said the family, was “loved by all his acquaintances, a man of kindness to all needy without distinction. He was a focus of joy and spread light in every frame in which he operated.”

“He was taken from us on his 70th birthday when the extended family gathered to celebrate the holiday every year on Sukkot. His birthday party unfortunately turned into a day of mourning,” they said.

The family, including his four children and 19 grandchildren, had turned out Wednesday to celebrate Schmerling’s 70th birthday. They had t-shirts designed especially for the occasion that had the Hebrew phrase, “sign that you’re young” written on them.

Speaking with The Times of Israel Thursday evening, one of Schmerling’s neighbors, Aryeh Katzir, referred to him as “a happy and welcoming man.”

“He was one of the community’s earliest members and was always there to help others. When my 17-year-old nephew tragically passed away years ago and none of us were able to function, Reuven took care of organizing the entire funeral and shiva. He was a rock for my brother,” Katzir said of Schmerling.

Speaking with reporters shortly after Schmerling’s body was found Wednesday, Elkana’s mayor Asaf Mizner, said the settlement was in “total shock and sorrow together with the family over Reuven’s terrible murder.”

“It is impossible to understand a situation in which a 70-year-old Jew goes to Kfar Qassem and is later found stabbed throughout his entire body.”

Mizner told Channel 10 earlier that when a “70-year-old Jewish man is found slaughtered… in Kafr Qassem, there’s nothing to conclude but a nationalistically motivated attack.”

The head of security for Kaft Qassem, Khaled Issa, told Channel 10 that Schmerling “was a known figure in the city” and “this is a sad incident that has all of us in shock.”

Issa said Kfar Qassem is known as a place for “partnership between Jews and Arabs” and where “everyone works in harmony.”