Violent Robbery at Chabad House in Kenya; Rabbi and Wife Wounded

Skyline of Nairobi city, Kenya.

The Chabad shliach to Kenya, Rabbi Shmuel Notik, and his wife Chaya, were violently assaulted during a robbery at the Chabad House in Nairobi, Kenya, at about 2 a.m. Wednesday morning (local time).

A group of five locals broke into the Chabad House, Chabad Info reported. During the robbery, the report said, the burglars encountered two bachurim, who had arrived from Israel to help at the Chabad House during Pesach. They tied the boys’ hands and feet and taped their mouths. When the burglars proceeded into the Notik’s residence at the Chabad House, Rabbi Notik spotted them and attempted to call for help, but he was beaten and was told that he would be killed if he did not cooperate.

The robbers then entered Mrs. Notik’s bedroom, beat her with a stick to wake her up, threatened her life and demanded money, while uttering anti-Semitic curses. She managed to escape from them and locked herself with her husband and their three children in the bathroom until police arrived.

The couple was eventually evacuated to a local hospital. Rabbi Notik is in fair condition, but his wife required surgery, and is listed in moderate condition.

Local police suspect that the Chabad House’s security personnel cooperated with the robbers. Anti-Semitism is not seemed the motive of the robbery.

The gang took money, jewerly, computers, passports, food, religious items, industrial kitchen equipment and cellphones. Chabad House Kenya announced that in addition to the loss of an tens of thousands of dollars, and the damage caused to the building, the facility will incur a considerable financial expense following the medical treatment of the rabbi and his wife, as well as an upgrade of the security at the site.

Friends of the Chabad House are planning a large fundraising campaign to raise about $100,000 to cover all the financial damage.

Nairobi has one of the world’s highest crime rates.

Rabbi Notik and his wife settled in Nairobi in 2014.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!