3 of the 5 Dead Students Were from the United States and Canada

Three of the five yeshiva students murdered by terrorists in Hebron Friday night have been identified as originally coming from the United States and Canada. They were Zvi Menachem Glatt, 21, of New York; Eli Hazeev (Wolf), 32, believed to be from Chicago; and Shmuel Marmelstein, 19, of Montreal.

The other two who were killed were Yaacov Zimmerman, 19, and Gershon Klein, 21, both from Bnei Brak and both soldiers in the armored corps serving in the Yeshivat Hesder in Kiryat Arba, a special yeshiva where students study the Torah while serving in the army. Both were born in Bnei Brak and graduated from local yeshivat before joining the Yeshivat Hesder.

Glatt, who came to Israel four years ago, was a student in the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He was a guest at the Kiryat Arba yeshiva and with his friends there he was making the weekly Friday night visit to the Machpela Cave Synagogue and then to the old Hadassah building when the attack occurred. Marmelstein was in Israel for one year of study at Kerem Yavneh Yeshiva. He had also come to Kiryat Arba for the weekends.

Wolf was a Vietnam veteran who was divorced and had a daughter. He was a follower of Rabbi Meir Kahane. At Kiryat Arba, he was studying Torah and working as a locksmith. He was only recently released from a seven-month jail sentence for harassing Hebron Arabs by entering their homes and demanding they leave them and return them to the Jews who had fled the houses in the 1929 massacre of Jews in Hebron.

THE WOUNDED IDENTIFIED

One of the wounded, Hanan Kroitheimer, is still in critical condition. Also injured seriously were Yehuda Travitz and Aharon Pni’el. Six Yeshivat Hesder soldiers–Mordechai Shevat, Aharon Tzvibel, Robert Brosovsky, Rahamim Hadges, Allon Zimmerman and Moshe Bosna–were all reported in good condition. Three others, Aharon Wertheimer, 44, a soldier in the reserves, and two tourists from the United States, Lisa Sherman, 20, and Simha Wolman, were slightly injured.

Four injured women were released last night. They are Kineret Levinger, the 17-year-old daughter of Kiryat Arba leader Rabbi Moshe Levinger, who is one of the women who have been living at the old-Hadassah building for more than a year; Meira Yahn-Daniela, 20, of Kiryat Arab; and Gila Mintzer, 17, and Dafna Vantura, 20, both of Bnei Brak. Also injured was Eytan Arbel.

Wertheimer was guarding the Hadassah building when the attack started. “The people were coming back from the Machpela Synagogue via the Hadassah building,” he said. “They were singing Shabat songs. There were many women and children. But by sheer luck, they were walking ahead of the last group which included 24 men and six girls. As soon as the women and children entered the building and the last group was approaching the gate,” the attack broke out, Wertheimer said.

“Hell was everywhere,” he continued. “Hellish fire was coming from opposite me. I had no time to return the fire. I was hit, stumbled and dragged myself into the house where I was given first aid.” He said the firing was so heavy and dense that he would not have been able to do much. “Everyone outside was hit by the shower of lead and fire,” he explained. “It was hell.”

Another eyewitness account was given by Vantura. She said as they were walking from the Machpela Synagogue “it was quiet in the streets. They were deserted. Just as we reached the gate of the Hadassah building we heard shots from behind. We fell face down and some even found cover in the staircase of the Hadassah building.”

Vantura said then there was a “second series of volleys and explosions. Then we started to treat the wounded.” She said passing vehicles were stopped and those most seriously wounded were put into them to be taken to the hospital. Within a short time ambulances arrived and helicopters transferred the most seriously wounded to three hospitals in Jerusalem — Hadassah at Ein Kerem, Hadassah on Mount Scopus and Shaarei Zedek.