Rabbi Yitzhak Arama

Dec 20, 2002 - Rabbi Yitzhak Arama, 40, of Netzer Hazani was shot and killed on the Kissufim corridor road while driving with his wife and six children to attend a pre-wedding Sabbath celebration in Afula. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.

At about 10:00 on Friday morning, Rabbi Arama and his wife Oshrat and their children were on their way to Afula to attend the "Shabbat Hatan" celebration of Gilad Yefet, a resident of Netzer Hazani, and brother of Itamar Yefet, killed by terrorist gunfire at the Gush Katif junction in November 2000. A single bullet penetrated the car door and struck Arama in the chest as they were driving near the Kisufim Junction entrance to the Gush Katif area in the Gaza Strip. He died shortly afterwards.

Born in Herzliya, Yitzhak Arama attended the "hesder yeshiva" in Kiryat Shmona. He received his rabbinical training at Kolel Magal and seven years ago was appointed rabbi of Netzer Hazani, in Gush Katif, and settled there with his family. The entire community was deeply shocked by his death. Rabbi Arama served as an anchor and a support for the extended Netzer Hazani family, which suffered a number of losses to terrorist attacks in the past two years. Yoram Tsror, local head of security, described him as the heart and life of the community. He taught Torah not only in his own community, but throughout Gush Katif. Another resident described him as an "unbelievable combination of the ultimate in humility and Torah knowledge."

Rabbi Arama was a direct descendant of the 15th-century Torah-and-Rashi commentator of the same name, author of the "Akedat Yitzhak" commentary. He himself was the author of a commentary on Ecclesiastes, published in memory of 18-year-old Itamar Yefet.