Israeli psychologist murdered in SA, attacker stole laptops, cell phone
Her family and colleagues praised the doctor for her research in the field of psychology.
By TAMAR URIEL-BEERIPolice outside a Cape Town court(photo credit: REUTERS/MIKE HUTCHINGS)
An Israeli psychologist was brutally murdered in South Africa on Sunday by an intruder who stole two laptops and a cell phone and managed to escape.Dr. Mirah Wilks, 69 years old, was attacked in her Johannesburg home after her husband went to the synagogue, according to news.com.au. She was found by him hours later.The attacker entered through the roof to avoid the security cameras and stabbed Wilks over a dozen times, according to the Daily Mail. He managed to escape. South African police said they would be launching a large manhunt.Wilks was born in Israel and moved to Australia when she was very young. She and her husband moved to South Africa after having two kids.Wilks was praised by her family and colleagues for her research, in particular the project that she had just begun in which she studies “resilience as a means of adaptation and survival,” with a focus on the country’s LGBTQ community.Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dr. Dvir Abramovich said the Israeli and Jewish community in Australia was “heartbroken and devastated by this savagery.”“We send our profound condolences to the family of Doctor Wilks,” he said.
