Baruch Goldstein

Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein (December 9 or December 12, 1956 – February 25, 1994) was a Jewish American-Israeli physician and militant who killed 29 Muslims and injured approximately 100 in a 1994 shooting attack in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Israel.

Related Topics:
December 9 - December 12 - 1956 - February 25 - 1994 - Jewish - American - Israeli - Physician - Militant - Muslim - Cave of the Patriarchs - Hebron - Israel

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Born in Brooklyn, New York to an Orthodox Jewish family, Dr. Goldstein was a direct descendant of the Baal HaTanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad Lubavitch movement. His family also had close ties to modern-day Israel, as members of his family were murdered in the Hebron riot of 1929http://www.manfredlehmann.com/sieg440.html. Goldstein attended religious day school, Yeshiva University and Albert Einstein Medical School. He was also a member of the Jewish Defense League, founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane and, like many of his Zionist peers, looked forward to making aliyah and contribute to Israeli society. After emigrating to Israel, he served as a physician in the Israeli Defense Force, first as a conscript, then in the reserve forces. Here, he gained notoriety for refusing to treat non-Jews, even those serving in the IDF. When Goldstein was threatened with court-martial he declared:

Related Topics:
Brooklyn, New York - Orthodox Jewish - Shneur Zalman of Liadi - Chabad Lubavitch - Hebron riot of 1929 - Yeshiva University - Jewish Defense League - Meir Kahane - Zionist - Aliyah - Israel - Israeli Defense Force - IDF - Court-martial

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:I am not willing to treat any non-Jew. I recognize as legitimate only two authorities: Maimonides and Kahane.{{ref|Kizel}}

Related Topics:
Maimonides - Kahane

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After Goldstein's death, the Shamgar Commission, which investigated Goldstein's role in the 1994 attack, noted that Goldstein did treat and heal an Arab militant in October 1990.

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Following the end of his active duty, Goldstein worked as a physician and lived in the Kiryat Arba settlement near Hebron, where he served as head medical officer.

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Goldstein is best known for having killed 29 Muslims during Friday prayers on Purim day, February 25th, 1994, in the Cave of the Patriarchs—the burial site of Biblical figures Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah—which is considered holy to both Muslims and Jews. After being subdued with a fire extinguisher, Goldstein was beaten to death by survivors. At his eulogy Rabbi Dov Lior of Kiryat Arba stated:

Related Topics:
Killed 29 Muslims - Friday prayers - Purim - February 25th - 1994 - Biblical figures - Abraham - Sarah - Isaac - Rebecca - Jacob - Leah - Jew

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:Goldstein was full of love for fellow human beings. He dedicated himself to helping others. Goldstein could not continue to bear the humiliations and shame nowadays inflicted upon us; this was why he took action for no other reason than to sanctify the holy name of God.{{ref|Baum}}

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Rioting immediately followed the massacre, leading to the deaths of another 26 Palestinians and 9 Israelis.

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Testimony at the Israeli inquiry raised the possibility that Goldstein had an accomplice—two Israeli army guards testified that a second settler entered the Cave of the Patriarchs on February 25 shortly after Goldstein did, and that when Goldstein went into the tomb he was armed with a different gun from the Galil assault rifle found by his body. The second settler was carrying a Galil, they said. This testimony was never confirmed, and a commission of inquiry established by Chief Justice Meir Shamgar found that Goldstein had acted on his own.

Related Topics:
February 25 - Galil - Assault rifle

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Goldstein's actions were immediately condemned by the Israeli government, and the Israeli populace in general. Spokespeople for all the organized denominations of Judaism denounced his act as immoral and as terrorism. The Kach movement, to which he belonged, was outlawed. The victims of the shooting received financial compensation.

Related Topics:
Judaism - Kach

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However, he became a hero to some Israeli right-wing extremists. Members of the outlawed Kach organization glorify his mass murder (claiming that he pre-empted the mass murder of Jews by Arabs).

Related Topics:
Hero - Mass murder

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