Memorial Held for Rabbi With Boston Ties Killed in Jerusalem Synagogue Slaying

Rabbi Mosheh Twersky was among the 5 killed in an attack at a Jerusalem synagogue

The son of a prominent late Boston rabbi was one of four rabbis killed in an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday, according to NBC News.

Police told NBC that that among the slain includes Rabbi Mosheh Twersky, who is the son of Boston-born Isadore Twersky, who founded Harvard University’s Center for Jewish Studies.

Isadore Twersky passed away in 1997. He was 67 years old.

Two Palestinians attacked praying Jews inside the synagogue with knives and axes.Those attackers were later killed in a shootout with police.

An Israeli police officer was also killed in the attack, pronounced dead hours later.

Three of the rabbis killed, including Twersky, were dual U.S.-Israeli nationals. Six other people were wounded in the attack.

Tuesday evening, a community-wide memorial service was held at Rabbi Mosheh Twersky's childhood school in Brooklin, Maimonides School.

"My head is still spinning, my body is still shaking ... My daughter Miriam asked me, 'Why does this happen to such good and holy people?' I have no answer," one former classmate said.

There were also remembrances of good times.

"While academics was clearly the focus of Mosheh, when we were in middle and upper school, he was most valued as a reliable, relentless offensive lineman and blocker," classmate Naty Katz said.

Twersky has lived in Israel for the past 30 years, and the rest of his family has since moved back to New York. His family is still credited with shaping the local Jewish community.

"You just wonder how the world allows these things to happen over and over again, but particularly an act of religious terrorism, it's so incomprehensible," Barry Shrage, president of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, said.

The son of a prominent late Boston rabbi was one of four rabbis and five people killed in an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday.

Consul General of Israel to New England Yehuda Yaakov said, "I express my sincere condolences to the families of the victims. I would also like to express my condolences to the Boston community – the Jewish community, the Harvard community, and the greater Boston community - on the personal loss of Rabbi Twersky. Our prayers are with you all."

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston released a statement in response.

"We are heartbroken and angered as the details of today's savage attack in Jerusalem emerge," read the statement from Executive Director Jeremy Burton and President Jill Goldenberg. "We expect that all people of faith and all leaders of faith communities will condemn today's terrorist attack and the brutal murder of these four rabbis at prayer."

Rabbi Twersky is survived by his wife and their five children, all of whom are still in Jerusalem, and other family members living in New York.

Contact Us