West Hartford man killed in West Bank shooting ‘led with kindness’
WEST HARTFORD — When Penina Beede thinks about her friend Elan Ganeles, the first thing that comes to mind was his sense of humor.
“We’d hang out in his family’s basement and we’d just do what high schoolers do — joke around,” Beede said Tuesday about Ganeles, the West Hartford man who was killed in a shooting near the Palestinian city of Jericho on Monday.
“He had this really unique sense of humor where he could say the weirdest, most bizarre thing. It couldn’t be replicable for any other person. It’s so unique to Elan.”
Elan, 27, who was living in New York City, was visiting Israel for a wedding when he was shot and killed while driving near Jericho, which is located in the West Bank.
Beede and Ganeles attended the Hebrew High School of New England in West Hartford — now known as the New England Jewish Academy — where they became close friends.
But behind the jokes the two would dish back and forth at each other, Beede said, was a kind, smart and devoted person.
“At the end of the day, he really led with kindness,” Beede said. “It was a balance between making these jokes and still wanting to have real intimate relationships. He really had these intimate relationships one-on-one and in groups, too. That’s something my friends have been remembering about him in addition to this weird, unique sense of humor.”
In West Hartford, Ganeles was a beloved member of the Jewish community. His family belonged to the Young Israel of West Hartford synagogue and Ganeles volunteered frequently at organizations in town, including Jewish Family Services.
“He really believed in community,” Beede said. “He was really passionate about service and a service to a Jewish community.”
In a statement, David Warren, president and chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, said Ganeles’ death was the result of a “brutal act of terrorism.”
“Once again, a civilian was targeted by those who see violence toward the innocent as a solution ” Warren said in his statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Ganeles family and affirm our solidarity with the people of Israel at this time of escalating violence. May Elan’s memory be a blessing for his family and our entire community.”
Ganeles’ life and connection with Israel started after high school when he deferred his enrollment to the University of Michigan and spent a year in Israel. That year turned into a longer stay when Ganeles joined the Israel Defense Force in 2016 as a computer programmer. He returned to the United States in 2018 to study at Columbia University, where he graduated in 2022 with a degree in sustainable development and neuroscience.
Mayor Shari Cantor — who is Beede’s aunt — said Ganeles was a valued member of the West Hartford community.
“He was really kind of a star student,” Cantor said. “He was a really brilliant young man. He played saxophone and was always there for his friends and community. (My niece) said everything he did and said came from a place of kindness and sweetness.”
Cantor said Ganeles’ death stirred memories of Matt Eisenfeld, a 25-yearold West Hartford man who was killed in a 1996 bus bombing in Jerusalem along with 22-year-old Sara Duker. That attack occurred on Feb. 25, nearly 27 years ago to the day of Ganeles’ death.
Beede said she hadn’t seen Ganeles since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but wishes she had reached out to him more often, because every time they saw each other it was like nothing had changed.
“The last time I saw him was in 2019 over Passover,” Beede said. “I went to his house on a Shabbat afternoon like the old days. It felt really nice to be back there. When we did see each other, it felt like it was back in the old days. I feel close to him. I’m really devastated he’s no longer with us.”
Ganeles is survived by his parents, Carolyn and Andrew Ganeles, his brothers, Simon (Gila) Ganeles and Gabriel Ganeles, and his grandparents, Aaron and Regina Rand. A fund has been started by Young Israel of West Hartford to support his family.