The Council of the Haredi city of Bnei Brak approved a proposal to commemorate Amir Khoury, an Israeli-Christian police officer who was killed last month while confronting a terrorist who was on a shooting rampage in the city.
The Bnei Brak City Council convened for a special discussion on Sunday evening and voted in favor of a proposal submitted by city council member Yaakov Wieder to commemorate Khoury, a member of the Dan Motorcycle Police Unit.
Khoury was the first to arrive at the scene of the deadly shooting attack in Bnei Brak in which five people were killed.
“Khoury did not hesitate for a moment, he charged and stopped the terrorist’s brutal murderous campaign, but during the shootout with the terrorist, Khoury was unfortunately fatally wounded,” the city stated.
Although Khoury was an Arab-Christian policeman from the Galilee, Wieder’s proposal to commemorate his memory in Bnei Brak received broad support. Bnei Brak Mayor Avraham Rubinstein met with Khoury’s family members and announced that he would support his commemoration in the city, and many city council members also expressed their support, and so for the first time in history, it was decided to commemorate a non-Jew in the Ultra-Orthodox city.
The exact location will be decided by the municipal naming committee.
Jeris Khoury, Amir’s father and a retired policeman, said that “a very strong bond has developed between us and the ultra-Orthodox community in Bnei Brak, including the rabbis and clergy. They all came to the funeral and also came to comfort us. We see unity we have not seen in years, and the offer to name a street after my son warms our hearts. ”
Wieder spoke with Jeris, “the father of the hero who became a symbol for all of us,” and said he was “moved to see how the family transcends the immense pain to add unity among the people, and I emphasized the deep appreciation of all the residents of Bnei Brak for the courage and bravery of Sergeant Khoury.”
