Lubavitcher shot in Miami
BROOKLYN’S CHASIDIC community was in shock this week over the coldblood killing of Lubavitcher Rabbi Joseph Raskin in Miami Beach last Saturday.
Rabbi Raskin, 60, was shot dead by two young men in what appears to have been a bungled robbery.
The New York rabbi had been visiting his daughter and grandchildren and was on his way to synagogue when he was approached by the two men at around 9am.
According to the police, there was a short argument, and then one of the men pulled out a gun and opened fire.
However, witnesses told NBC report- ers that there had been no altercation. They added that the assailants were African-American males.
Rabbi Raskin is survived by his wife, Faigy, and seven children, according to an obituary that ran on Saturday night on crownheights.info.
Police spokeswoman Elena Hernandez told the Miami Herald: “There is no indication of this being a hate crime.” However, Rabbi Raksin’s daughter, Shully Lepokovski, told WSVN. com that she believed it was an antisemitic attack.
According to the Miami Herald, on July 28, swastikas were sprayed on a north-east Miami-Dade shul, amid the ongoing conflict over Gaza, leading to concerns the shooting may be linked.