Rabbi Zvi Kogan told friends and family that he never felt unsafe living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and reportedly told them that he cherished his life there, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan national and resident of the UAE, had been working with the Chabad movement to support Jewish community life in the Gulf state. He was reported missing by his family, and his body was found in Al Aid, approximately 90 minutes from Dubai.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the morning that he was abducted and murdered, Kogan left his home, stopping at the kosher grocery store in Dubai where he worked and texted a friend who he made weekend plans with.
He never showed up for an afternoon dental appointment, the report noted, prompting Rivky, Kogan's wife, to alert Chabad, who contacted authorities.
The UAE's Interior Ministry identified three Uzbek nationals as suspects in Kogan's murder.
Kogan's family and friends shared with the Wall Street Journal that it had been a bloody end, though the report noted that the specific circumstances around his death were still unclear.
Kogan became a known member of the Jewish community in the UAE, for example, delivering challah to families on Shabbat and helping operate the only kosher supermarket in the UAE.
Kogan's brother-in-law, Rabbi Sholom Duchman, told the Wall Street Journal that Kogan "was going about his regular life and never thought for a second anything was going on."
“He cherished every single moment that he was there,” Duchman shared with the Wall Street Journal.
Kogan's funeral and burial took place in Israel, with officials from the UAE visiting his family members.
The report also highlighted Kogan's central role in developing Chabad as a visible element in the UAE's Jewish community, along with developing relationships with more liberal and less observant Jews in the UAE.
Israel's ties with UAE, Gulf states
His murder put a spotlight on both the relationship between Israel and the UAE, as well as Israel's other ties with the Gulf states, particularly with the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas War and the ongoing ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Following the historic signing of the Abraham Accords in 2020, which normalized relations between the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel, the UAE welcomed thousands of Jewish residents. The Wall Street Journal reported that more than a million Israelis visited the UAE in the first three years after the Abraham Accords.
Since October 7, 2023, reports have shown a 400% increase in antisemitic incidents over the past year in the United States and across Europe. However, the Wall Street Journal highlighted that the newly established Jewish community in the UAE felt relatively protected, and authorities quickly shut down any minor antisemitic incidents.