Minnesotans mourn two Israelis slain in office attack

Funeral services were held this week for two Israelis who were among five people gunned down in a recent shooting attack in Minneapolis.

Reuven Rahamim, 61, was buried in Israel and Rami Cooks, 62, was interred at a Minneapolis area Jewish cemetery, according to Minnesota's American Jewish World.

The Sept. 27 shooting took place at a sign manufacturing company owned by Rahamim, 61, who was killed in the attack. Cooks, an employee of the company, was killed, as were two other employees and a UPS driver. Police said the shooter, who shot himself dead after the attack, had been fired as an employee of the company a few hours before the attack.

Private services were held on Sunday at Beth Shalom Congregation for Cooks. That same day, more than 1,000 mourners turned out for a memorial service for Rahamim at Beth El Synagogue, where he served on the board of directors.

Rahamim, an Israel Defense Forces veteran of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, came to the United States following that campaign to visit family and decided to stay. In Minnesota, he founded and built Accent Signage into a multimillion dollar company manufacturing interior signs. He also held several patents, including one for making signs in Braille that is used around the world, according to the Jewish World.

“He didn’t just make signs, he helped people find their way,” the newspaper reported Rabbi Alexander Davis as saying at the funeral.