An Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, Zvi Kogan, who went missing last week in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has been found dead in what Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis has called a "devastating blow" for peace on Sunday.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced Kogan had been found after he was killed in what it described as a "heinous antisemitic terror incident." While Israeli authorities did not say how they determined the killing of Kogan was a terror attack and offered no additional details, the announcement has drawn international attention as regional tensions escalate.
Kogan, 28, was an ultra-Orthodox rabbi managing Rimon Market, a kosher grocery store in Dubai, a city that has seen an influx of Israeli tourists and businesses since the landmark 2020 Abraham Accords. His disappearance on Thursday prompted a search, with the Emirati Interior Ministry describing Kogan as being "missing and out of contact," adding that "specialized authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report."
While the details surrounding Kogan's death remain unclear, Israeli leaders have vowed to seek justice for the attack.
In response to Kogan's death, Mirvis took to X, formerly Twitter, to condemn the incident.
"The senseless murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan is not only a devastating blow to his family and the Jewish community in the UAE but to all who cherish the values of peace, respect, and coexistence," he wrote.
Mirvis added: "This heinous act of terror also strikes at the heart of everything that the remarkable story of the young Emirati Jewish community has come to embody: a society built on mutual respect, tolerance, and peace...No act of evil will deter us from uniting against the forces of darkness that seek to divide us."
Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee (AJC), wrote on X, "The global Jewish community mourns Rabbi Zvi Kogan (z"l). May his memory be a blessing, and may the perpetrators of this murder soon be brought to justice."
Newsweek has reached out to Israel and the Emirati government via email for comment.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu told a regular Cabinet meeting later on Sunday that he was "deeply shocked" by Kogan's disappearance and death, emphasizing continued collaboration with the UAE, which has maintained formal ties with Israel despite the region's volatile climate.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog similarly condemned the killing and thanked UAE authorities for their swift response, expressing confidence in efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The incident comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions following Hamas' attack on southern Israel in October 2023 and Israel's subsequent retaliatory strikes in Gaza and Lebanon. During Hamas' attack, 1,200 people were killed and more than 44,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, per the Gaza Health Ministry, according to the Associated Press. Relations between Israelis and the broader Arab world have been tested, with public sentiment in the UAE reflecting growing anger over the conflict.
According to the AP, while the Emirati government did not respond to a request for comment, senior Emirati diplomat Anwer Gargash wrote on X in Arabic on Sunday that "the UAE will remain a home of safety, an oasis of stability, a society of tolerance and coexistence and a beacon of development, pride and advancement."
Meanwhile, the UAE's state-run WAM news agency referred to Kogan solely as a Moldovan national, avoiding mention of his Israeli citizenship. While the country's leadership champions its reputation as a hub of tolerance and coexistence, incidents of unrest and rising political pressure challenge that image.
In response to Kogan's killing, Israel also warned against all nonessential travel to the Emirates.
"There is concern that there is still a threat against Israelis and Jews in the area," a government warning issued Sunday said.
Kogan, an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City, is survived by his wife Rivky, a U.S. citizen who lived with him in the UAE. She is the niece of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg who was killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
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