Rassan Sharouk

May 7, 2002 - Rassan Sharouk, 60, of Holon was one of 15 people killed when a suicide bomber detonated a powerful charge in a game club located on the 3rd floor of a building in Rishon Lezion, causing part of the building to collapse. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

At about 11:00 PM, the terrorist entered the unlicensed Sheffield Club with a suitcase of explosives, spiked with shrapnels and nails to cause maximum injury. The patrons were trying their luck at slot machines, card games or snooker. 15 were killed, and 55 wounded in the blast.

Rassan Sharouk was at the Sheffield Club with his wife, Shaku. He had just gone to bring her something to drink when he was killed in the blast; Shaku was lightly injured.

The couple immigrated to Israel from Iran in 1974. Sharouk worked for many years for the Bezek phone company and the Israel Electric Company. He recently became religiously observant and studied in a yeshiva. He also worked in a store that sells Jewish religious articles.

Sharouk Rassan was buried in the Yarkon cemetery in Tel-Aviv. He is survived by his wife and their four sons - Sharon (26), Yaron (25), Tomer (22) and Doron (16).