As Chicago’s Palestinian community mourns the loss of a 6-year-old boy who was stabbed 26 times by his landlord in a suspected hate crime fueled by the Israel-Hamas war, 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 their support for the family of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a Palestinian-American who was allegedly attacked with a 12-inch military-style knife by landlord Joseph Czuba, 71, as he shouted, “You Muslims must die!”
Hart said it was his duty to attend the funeral and help comfort the mourners as a way to condemn the bloody killings and advocate for peace.
“We met with the Imam [muslim religious leader], hearing from the father, and standing with the boy’s community as they mourn this terrible loss,” Hart wrote in a Facebook post. “We witnessed his pain.
Rabbi Ari Hart (left) and Rabbi Hody Nemes (right) stand with an imam as they attend the funeral of slain Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume. Ari Hart / Facebook Wadea Al-Fayoume, 6, allegedly stabbed 26 times to death by her landlord in Chicago. Family Handout
“We express our shock and condemnation of the attack. We cried,” he added.
Hart acknowledged that it was not easy for the group of rabbis to attend the funeral given the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, with Gaza resembling a war zone following unprecedented violence between Palestinians and Jews.
“But the killing of a six-year-old child because of his beliefs and identity is not complicated. It is a heinous crime. And that’s why we’re going today,” explained Hart.
A Palestinian flag was placed on the small coffin of the slain boy. Getty Images Hundreds turned out to show their support for the family after it was revealed they were being targeted as Muslims in the middle of the Israel-Hamas war. Getty Images
Despite the current divide between their communities, Hart said he hopes the rabbis’ presence can serve as a reminder that peace is out of reach for Jews and Palestinians.
“I cannot give up trying, longing, dreaming, even now, to find the way to shalom,” he wrote. “The road to greetings. The path to peace.”
The rabbis’ visit brought hope amid grief for those who attended 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 hospital.
Wadea 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 son know him, and they have a good relationship. It’s hard to imagine this man holding a knife to stab my son,” El-Fayoume told the Daily Beast.
“I kept thinking that my son might have run towards him before he was stabbed, trying to hug him.”
The Will County Sheriff’s Office said Czuba attacked the mother and child “because they are Muslims and the ongoing Middle East conflict involving Hamas and Israel.”
The killing sent shockwaves across the country, with President Biden also condemning the attack as a “horrific act of hate.”
Czuba was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital for treatment of a wound to his forehead. He has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of hate crime and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
