Reserve officer Yoel Asher, who served in the Military Rabbinate and took part in the difficult work of identifying the dead at the Shura army base following the October 7 massacre, died suddenly Monday morning in Netanya, apparently of a cardiac event, at age 50.
According to Haredi news outlet Kikar HaShabbat, Asher did not wake up from his sleep, and those close to him described a man with what they called an enormous heart who devoted himself to acts of kindness for the wider community as well as individuals. Through his reserve service in the Military Rabbinate, he took part in identifying victims of the October 7 terror attack at Shura, work widely regarded within religious circles as sacred and emotionally grueling.
Asher had briefly made headlines several years earlier after an incident on Chagai Street in Bnei Brak, near the Vizhnitz-Bohush study hall, in which several extremist youths attacked his car, threw objects at it, and blocked his path with garbage bins, an episode that caused him and those around him significant distress.
His sudden death has left family, friends, and acquaintances shocked and grieving the loss of a man remembered for his communal work and generosity. His funeral was scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Monday, departing from his home on Avraham Shapira Street in Netanya.
