Torah Scholar Dies After Homeless Man Stabs Him at Bnei Brak Kollel
A Torah scholar was fatally stabbed inside the Chazon Ish Kollel in Bnei Brak while studying with his son. The suspect, who had threatened the victim days earlier, fled the scene and remains at large.
Rabbi Yishai Pour, 50, was stabbed to death Wednesday afternoon inside the Chazon Ish Kollel on HaAri Street in Bnei Brak while studying alongside his son. He was evacuated in critical condition to Tel HaShomer Hospital, where doctors fought for his life before his death was pronounced shortly after.
According to a report by i24NEWS correspondent Lee Ayash, the suspect, a homeless man with a known psychiatric history, had entered the kollel several days earlier and became embroiled in a heated argument with the victim over who would be called up for a Torah reading. During that confrontation, the suspect allegedly told the scholar: "I'll deal with you soon."
First responders on scene
MDA paramedic Elchanan Rosenstein described finding the victim "semi-conscious, suffering penetrating injuries to his body." Emergency treatment including hemorrhage control and medication was administered before evacuation by intensive care ambulance.
ZAKA volunteers Yechiel Goldman, Ariel Yazdi, and Avi Tzadok, together with Hatzalah medics Yoel Schechter and Shmulik Nachmiash, treated the victim on site and are now assisting police forensic units in collecting evidence from the scene.
The attacker fled immediately after the stabbing. Police launched an extensive manhunt and deployed large forces throughout the area. Authorities have not yet officially confirmed a motive, though initial reports point to a mentally unstable individual acting on a personal grudge.