An Orthodox Jewish man from Israel was shot and killed on May 2 while visiting Baltimore for his cousin’s wedding.
The man, identified as Efraim Gordon, 31, was shot on the doorstep of a relative’s home. Police believe that the shooting was the result of an attempted robbery, but Gordon’s family members reportedly told COLLIVE that the shooter was promulgating antisemitic slurs. Gordon was pronounced dead at the hospital.
“They go from a high point of having their relative’s wedding, and families finally seeing each other for the first time in a long time and to have a relative come in from out of the country just for a week, to be gunned down is horrific,” local City Councilman Yitzy Schleifer told CBS Baltimore.
Yisrael Gantz, who chairs the Binyamin Regional Council that oversees 46 Israeli West Bank settlements, told Arutz Sheva that Gordon “was killed yesterday for being a Jew in an anti-Semitic attack in the United States.” He added that Gordon “was a new resident of this fine community, a high-tech man, a family man who has always loved to give and help others. He flew to a family reunion in the United States and yesterday he was shot dead by cursed anti-Semites just because he was a Jew. They shouted hate speech against Jews while shooting at him.”
Israel-based writer Hen Mazzig also tweeted, “Because he was visibly Jewish in public, Efraim lost his life. We cannot — and will not — let his story get lost in the newscycle too.”
Orthodox Jew Efraim Gordon was killed in Baltimore yesterday. Witnesses heard his murderer shout antisemitic slurs while gunning him down.
Because he was visibly Jewish in public, Efraim lost his life.
We cannot — and will not — let his story get lost in the newscycle too. pic.twitter.com/vDpFKggvJP
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) May 4, 2021
Gordon’s funeral was held on the evening of May 4 in Israel. His family had set up a burial fund and will use part of the remaining proceeds as a reward for finding the suspect or suspects behind Gordon’s killing.
