Rabbi Zvi Kogan, an Israeli Man, Found Murdered in the United Arab Emirates
Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Jewish leader who worked for an Orthodox Jewish group called Chabad in the United Arab Emirates, was found murdered on Sunday, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. Kogan had gone missing in Dubai on Thursday.
The Israeli government condemned the killing as a “heinous antisemitic terrorist act” and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. The United Arab Emirates foreign ministry did not comment on the matter.
Kogan, who also held Moldovan citizenship, was found dead after vanishing in Dubai on Thursday. The Chabad group, which seeks to build links with non-affiliated and secular Jews or other sects of Judaism, had previously supported thousands of Jewish visitors and residents in the UAE.
In response to Kogan’s murder, the Israeli authorities reissued a recommendation against all non-essential travel to the UAE and advised visitors to minimize movement, remain in secure areas, and avoid visiting businesses and gathering places associated with Israel and Jewish populations.
The UAE has a growing Israeli and Jewish community, with thousands of Jewish residents and visitors, since the country established formal ties with Israel in 2020. However, the public presence of Israelis and Jews in the UAE has appeared to recede since the Gaza conflict sparked by a recent Hamas attack.