Heartfelt Tributes from the Shocked Friends of Eli Kay, May Hashem Avenge His Blood, Killed in the Shooting Attack: "He Brought Me Back to a Life of Torah and Mitzvot"

At the yeshiva where Eliyahu David Kay studied, they are still struggling to recover. The shock swept through the yeshiva when the terrible news arrived that the yeshiva student was murdered in a brutal attack in Jerusalem. On Eliyahu Street 5 in Kiryat Gat, his friends and staff at the yeshiva painfully recount time and again the memories of the student taken too soon. We arrived there this week, shortly after the tragic outcome of the shooting attack became known.

Rabbi Reuven Shnerson, one of the rabbis at the Chabad yeshiva in Kiryat Gat and the rebbe's emissary in Banim neighborhood, vividly remembers Kay's early days at the yeshiva. "Eliyahu arrived in Israel in 2016, aiming to study at the Chabad yeshiva in the city. This yeshiva accepts young men from Israel and around the globe. I remember how he arrived alone. He only spoke English back then, and knew very few Hebrew words. Naturally, this fact presents significant difficulties for students coming to study at the yeshiva. Despite this, Eli did everything in his ability to integrate quickly and never complained".

Rabbi Yossi Wolf joins in and recalls: "He was a delightful and beloved young man by everyone, which was especially noticeable given that many students coming from abroad take time to adapt." According to Rabbi Wolf, "Eli was noted for his diligence. He loved studying Tanya and was deeply committed to the wholeness of the land. As part of his strong connection to Israel, he traveled extensively throughout the country and later even volunteered for a time in agricultural work".

Rabbi Yossi Wolf

A Great Loss

To Rabbi Shneur Zalman Moskowitz, Eli will always be the student with noble character. "Eli was ready to help anyone with warmth and care, at any time," he says. The young student who grew up in South Africa and made aliyah to Israel also worked to spread the light of Torah and Chassidut, bringing more students to the southern city yeshiva to strengthen themselves too. "It is quite possible that if not for Eli – who himself initially studied in a local school in his homeland and later at a yeshiva in Australia – they wouldn't have succeeded in reaching the heights in Torah and fear of Heaven as they did at the yeshiva," notes Rabbi Moskowitz.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman Moskowitz

At one point, during his stay at the yeshiva, Eli was accepted for rabbinic ordination. Despite the challenges that appeared in his path, Eli insisted on continuing. "He told me," Rabbi Moskowitz notes, "that he wanted to have rabbinical ordination – and he was willing to invest everything necessary for it".

Rabbi Gil Perg, who had a special relationship with Eli, also finds it difficult to forget his character. "Eli quickly became a leader upon his arrival at the yeshiva. The fact that he was in a high spiritual place made this trait particularly beneficial. I remember when he was at the yeshiva – he was fully present in it: his prayers were prayers, and his learning was with special depth and diligence. There is no one who doesn’t remember his prayers, performed as Chabad calls it 'prayer with work' – he prayed with great serenity, answered 'amen' and 'amen ye'hei shmei rabba' with enthusiasm and deep intention. His passing is a great loss," he chokes up.

Never Forgot Where He Came From

Rabbi Shnerson shares that Eli studied at the yeshiva for about two years – until 2017. At that point, while most Chabad chassidim go to the group by the rebbe, Eli preferred to enlist. "And yet," Rabbi Perg notes, "Eli kept his yeshiva character amidst all means, even when he was very far from the yeshiva." Evidence of this can be seen in the fact that he would come to visit the yeshiva even while in the army. "He would visit and use every moment, sitting at the yeshiva benches like when he was one of its students, learning Likutei Sichot, Talmud, and most importantly for him – absorbing the yeshiva atmosphere".

Rabbi Perg, who kept a connection with Eli even after his yeshiva studies ended, emphasizes that he remained a chassid wherever he was. "Wherever he was, he would do the 'missions' the Lubavitcher Rebbe instructed, and only after his passing did we get testimony about how much spreading Judaism burned within him. We heard from his friends that during his army service and in other places he said 'a Chabad chassid remains a Chabad chassid', and encouraged them to learn Chassidut. Indeed, his acquaintances testify that Kay was an enthusiastic Chabad chassid, who carried out the Chabad missions and important projects with zeal, with enlightening the many burning within him.

Rabbi Gil Perg

When Eli met a yeshiva student who wished to enlist, he turned to him and said: "The army is not for everyone; that's why I'm in the army – to protect you, and you, instead, will stay and study and learn during this time for my merit." And so it was.

The Hard News Received in Shock

Rabbi Shnerson: "I was studying at the yeshiva when suddenly it was announced there was an attack in Jerusalem. I heard and pained over the fact another Jew was murdered without knowing who it was. Then I heard the name Kay. The first thing that came to my mind was Eliyahu's image studying in the yeshiva hall. When I saw the image published in the media, memories flooded back instantly. At first, I tried to check if this was true, but when I saw his name and photo everywhere, the harsh realization set in."

Rabbi Reuven Shnerson,

Rabbi Wolf: "I also found it hard to believe Eliyahu was the murder victim. Despite the published surname, thinking about our Eli didn't even cross my mind. Immediately after, someone published a message stating he was one of our alumni. We received it very hard. Even after all the time that has passed he remains etched in our hearts".

The confusion at the yeshiva was contributed to by the fact there was a mistake in the initial reports about Kay's exact age, as Rabbi Moskowitz tells us: "Immediately when I heard the name Eliyahu David Kay, I went with trembling hands to the office, to check Eliyahu's precise age, and then we discovered the date didn't match, but soon it became clear that it was a mistake and it was indeed him.

Rabbi Perg remembers those difficult moments from his last meeting with Eliyahu. "It's terribly hard," he says, "only recently he told me he wanted to build a home, and shared with me enthusiastically his future plans. Unfortunately and painfully, he will no longer be able to fulfill his wish".

The Last Note

Shortly before our conversation, Eliyahu's last note was published. It's a note he sent to one of the yeshiva rabbis, Rabbi Yaroslavsky, reflecting his commitment to his words. "He met Rabbi Yaroslavsky during his rabbinic ordination studies, in his last year at the yeshiva," says a friend. "Before he left, Rabbi Yaroslavsky told him not to forget to invite him to his wedding. Years passed, and Eli made sure to keep his promise. The opportunity came when he met one of the yeshiva members at the Western Wall, and handed him a handwritten note with a wedding invitation. Eli ended the note with words, chilling against the backdrop of what happened afterward: to have 'good news'. On the day we held this conversation, Rabbi Yaroslavsky came to comfort Eliyahu's parents and gave them the note – one of the last memories left of their son".

During the funeral and the following shiva, many testimonies about Eli's qualities and nobility were heard, particularly the story of one of the eulogizers at the funeral, a friend of Eli, who described his straying from the righteous path, and the way Eli shone the way back to a life of Torah and mitzvot. Eliyahu's deep connection to Torah and mitzvot was also expressed in his final path, being near the place sacred to the Jewish people, holding in his hand a tefillin bag and a Likutei Sichot book – prayer and Chassidut hand in hand. May his soul be bound in the bond of life, and may Hashem avenge his blood soon.