Jerusalem: 40-yr-old woman found dead in Gilo apartment

Police believe victim was murdered 5 days ago; husband reportedly arrested in connection with death; signs of violence found on body.

By MELANIE LIDMAN
police koresh street 248.88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
police koresh street 248.88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
The body of a 40-year-old Jerusalem woman was discovered by police on Tuesday, days after she was murdered. Police believe the woman was murdered last Thursday, and her body was hidden on the balcony of her Gilo apartment underneath blankets and mattresses.
According to Hebrew media reports, the woman’s husband was arrested in connection with her murder. The body was found with signs of violence, and was taken on Tuesday to the Abu Kabir Forensics Institute for further investigation.
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The woman’s four sons, between ages 8 and 20, were apparently in the house since Thursday and did not know their mother had been murdered and her body was still in the apartment.
The husband was taken for investigation by police. On Tuesday police also arrested a man from Beit Shemesh who was related to the husband and is suspected of assisting in the murder.
The Jerusalem municipality said that the city’s social services department had not been in contact with the woman or the family prior to the murder. The four children have now been taken in by social services.
This latest act of domestic violence comes on the heels of two other domestic disputes. An Arad resident admitted to shooting his wife to death two weeks ago, and on Sunday, a murder-suicide took place in Beer Sheba, when a 44-year-old man stabbed his ex-wife to death and then jumped out of the window to his death. 
“It’s simply disgusting that we have three instances of women being killed in less than two weeks,” said Nurit Kaufmann, who oversees programs that help victims of violence through WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organization) Israel. She noted in 2010, around 20 murders of women were recorded as a result of domestic violence, though the actual number could be much higher. Already 2011 is on the way to exceeding this number.
WIZO runs two shelters and a number of centers that assist women in violent situations.
“Women should be aware of services that are available, but it’s also important to understand that there are some instances of murder that we can’t avoid, to our great sorrow,” Kaufmann said. It’s impossible to place the blame on social services, because at the end of the day it’s up to the woman to make the difficult decision to leave the family, she added.
Kaufmann encouraged any woman who finds herself the victim of violence to reach out to resources in the community or family members if possible. “It’s important not to be alone in this terrible situation,” she said.