Joseph Burstein, a colonist of Balfouria, the Jewish settlement in the Valley of Jezreel, founded by the American Zion Commonwealth in honour of Lord Balfour, was killed last night on his own doorstep by a bullet fired by unknown raiders, believed to be Arabs, which lodged in his head. The outrage occurred at midnight only about 50 years from the main Afuleh-Nazareth Road.
The footprints of the assailants, indicate that they made off in the direction of Jenin, where seven Arabs have been arrested by the police on suspicion.
Burstein heard people moving about outside his house, and went to investigate, and the shot was fired as soon as he opened the door. After shooting Burstein, the assailants tried to enter a room in which there was his son but they abandoned the attempt, probably frightened off by the sound of people coming. The motive of the crime is undoubtedly robbery. The murderers had already collected a bundle of clothing to carry off, but left it behind when they fled.
The funeral, which took place this afternoon, was attended by crowds of people.
The police are displaying a great deal of energy in trying to track down the murderers. The entire Valley of Jezreel is dumbfounded by the outrage.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
