Canadian Teen Murdered in Jerusalem Terror Attack

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CANADIAN TEEN MURDERED IN JERUSALEM TERROR ATTACK

First coordinated attack of this magnitude since 2016

Ottawa, ON – November 23, 2022 – This morning (local time), Jerusalem was rocked by coordinated twin terror attacks that killed an Israeli-Canadian teenager and wounded 19 others.

Two explosions, 30 minutes apart, targeted popular bus stations, one at the entrance to the city near the Central Bus Station and the other in the Ramot neighbourhood, during rush hour as civilians made their way to work and school. Initial assessments from police suggest the bombs were detonated remotely and were reportedly packed with nails and bolts to maximize casualties.

It has been confirmed that 16-year-old Aryeh Schupak, z”l, an Israeli-Canadian citizen who lived in the capital’s Har Nof neighbourhood and who was on his way to a yeshiva in a nearby community when the explosion occurred, lost his life in the attack.

Though this was the first bombing targeting civilians in Jerusalem since April 2016 – where a Hamas suicide bomber injured 21 people – today’s terror attacks follow months of shootings, stabbings, and car rammings that have killed a total of 30 Jewish, Christian, and Druze Israelis (both soldiers and civilians), with hundreds more injured in thousands of incidents.

According to the Jerusalem Post: “Though no group has taken responsibility for the attack, Hamas praised it with its spokesperson Abd al-Latif al-Qanua saying that it was “in response to the occupation and its settlers' crimes against our people and Al-Aqsa Mosque.”"

On behalf of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Shimon Koffler Fogel, President and CEO, condemns this vicious terrorist attack:

“Today, Israeli civilians were targeted in the most horrific way; people who were just starting their day, on their way to work or school, were met by devastating hatred that has forever changed their lives and the lives of all Israelis.

“Aryeh Schupak, z”l, of blessed memory, was an innocent victim. Just a boy, on his way to school, murdered only because he is Jewish. We convey our condolences and prayers to his family and pray those injured will have a full and speedy recovery. Our hearts are with the entire Israeli community who have, once again, been reminded that senseless hatred targets the innocent.

“Terrorist attacks have one goal: to spread fear in civilian populations, deliberately targeting civilians to push forward an agenda of chaos and violence.

"Israelis are known for their resiliency, having faced countless terror attacks, yet this is not a ‘norm’ any civilian should be asked to live with.

"As more and more countries seek peace with Israel through the Abraham Accords, we hope that local Palestinian leadership will also see the opportunities that come with such peace and support their populations in moving in this direction. The terror groups that glorify violence will only serve to continue this horrific bloodshed.

“We condemn these cowardly acts and remind Israelis that Canada’s Jewish community stands with them.”

-30-