Hundreds protest at site of deadly stabbing: Jewish blood isn't worthless!

"The love of fellow Jews ('ahavat Yisrael' – literally 'the love of Israel') is the answer, the revenge."

Protest rally at site of stabbing attack in Petah Tikva, August 29, 2020 (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
Protest rally at site of stabbing attack in Petah Tikva, August 29, 2020
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI)
About 200 people held a protest rally on Saturday evening at Segula Junction in Petah Tikva, where Rabbi Shai Ohayon was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist on Wednesday.
During, the rally, titled "Jewish blood is not worthless," protesters decried the "incompetence of the defense system and the government," according to Ynet.
"For years, we contacted authorities with the request to increase protection at Segula Junction, where hundreds of people from minorities move through every day. The writing was on the wall for a long time," said Tzvi Visengard, the organizer of the protest. "The goal of the rally is to prevent the next terror attack, and we are all hoping that after this heavy disaster, they will wake up and make sure that the blood of residents of the country will not be worthless."
"We are in the place where a terrible murder happened, resulting from [Arab] education to hate Israel. There are many people sitting within the country and next to it who are married to the hatred of Israel and Jews. An education such as this creates killers," said Petah Tikva Chief Rabbi Micah HaLevi, according to Ynet.
"The love of fellow Jews (ahavat yisrael – the 'love of Israel') is the answer, the revenge," he said. "We need to increase ahavat yisrael. Rabbi Shai Ohayon was a great and righteous man. He came from the kollel [paying school for religious, married men]. The revenge is the establishment of dozens more kollels. We speak with only love against the hate."
Shas MK Uriel Busso, a resident of Petah Tikva, spoke at the rally as well, saying that "the city of Petah Tikva has received a warning signal, a true disaster. I and my colleagues will do what has been placed upon us: We will act to demolish the house of the terrorist."
Petah Tikva Mayor Rami Greenberg notified Ohayon's family on Saturday that a lane near the site of the attack would be renamed after him and a memorial would be established in his memory in the city.
Ohayon was killed by a Palestinian terrorist with an Israeli work permit. The rabbi, 39, was a prominent figure in his neighborhood and, according to his neighbors, was always offering Torah lessons to anyone who was interested. He leaves behind a wife and four children.
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had shared an article on Facebook saying that prior to this murder – and for the first time in 56 years – no Israeli civilian had been killed in a terrorist attack for a full year.
"Before everything, I am here in order to protect your lives," wrote Netanyahu. "We will continue to bring security – and within it to bring peace as well. We are protecting the security of Israel."
Tzvi Joffre and Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.