Ari Halberstam
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Ari Halberstam (May 6, 1977 - March 1, 1994) was a yeshiva student from a distinguished family associated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, who was killed by a terrorist in New York, and was known for his academic genius, and potential for leadership.
Raised under the personal supervision of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The Halberstam family's ties to the Rebbe include his father, who worked as a butler and personal manager to the Rebbe. The Halberstam family also includes a rabbinic dynasty of its own, the Bobovers, whose first Rebbe was Shlomo Halberstam.
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[edit] Leadership Potential
Though the Lubavitcher Rebbe never named a successor to his position as the Grand Rabbi, it was widely viewed that Halberstam had great potential for a leadership position in the Jewish community, largely due to his status as a child prodigy, close ties to the Rebbe, as well as his athletic skills in basketball, and reputation of kindness towards others.
[edit] Murder
On March 1, 1994, Ari Halbertam was visiting the ailing Rebbe at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, and was returning to his Brooklyn home via the Brooklyn Bridge. On the entrance ramp to the bridge, gunman Rashid Baz opened fire on the van, which also carried more than a dozen other Hasidic students. The attack critically wounded two of the young men and injured two others. The lone gunman was equipped with a submachine gun, two 9mm guns, and a "street sweeper" shotgun, pursued the van full of terrified students across the bridge. He fired in three separate bursts, spraying both sides of the van, before disappearing into traffic. During the shooting spree, the gunman reportedly shouted in Arabic "kill the jews," expressing revenge for the massacre of 29 Muslim worshipers at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron by a radical Jewish settler.
Halberstam was rushed to St. Vincent's Hospital and was the most severely wounded, having been shot in the head by Baz. As a result of the massive brain injuries, Halberstam was pronounced dead five days after the shooting.
[edit] The Funeral
As the funeral procession took place on Eastern Parkway, outside the central Lubavitcher synagogogue, some 10,000 mourners and more than 250 police officers took part in the event, to maintain safety. Halberstam was buried in the Montefiore Cemetery in Queens. Later that year, the Rebbe passed away and was buried across the aisle from Halberstam.
[edit] The Sentencing
Baz' defense team portrayed him as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his childhood exposure to violence during the Lebanese Civil War. They argued further that Baz' actions were triggered by the killing of 29 Muslims just four days earlier by Baruch Goldstein in Hebron. The jury rejected this argument, and on December 1, 1994, Baz was convicted on one count of murder, 14 counts of attempted murder, and one count of criminal use of a firearm. Despite the conviction of Baz, the Halberstam family and others wanted the case reclassified as a terrorist attack and wanted a further investigation to probe any terrorist links to Baz. On August 26, 1999 the Justice Department and FBI agreed to open an investigation into Baz. The investigation did not yield any new leads connected to terrorist organizations but the Justice Department did formally reclassify the incident as an act of terrorism.
[edit] Legacy of Halberstam
Among the items named in memory of Halberstam include:
Ari Halberstam Memorial Ramp on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Ari Halberstam Memorial Fund, established in 1994, following the brutal shooting of Ari Halberstam. The fund organizes fund raising campaigns to distribute funds to various causes. Ari's fund helps give educational scholarships to underprivileged students and works closely with other community organizations in their fund raising efforts.
The Ari Halberstam Sportsmanship Award, Ari's life and ability in sports are honored annually by Barry Panzer, who coaches the basketball league at Kingsway Jewish Center by dedicating an award in memory of this teenager who was on equally strong footing in the basketball court as he was in the beth midrash (house of study).
The Jewish Children's Museum, dedicated in memory of Ari Halberstam.
Ari's Law: requiring a license in order to possess a Gun Kit from which a firearm could be produced. Torah Scroll: Completed on the first anniversary of Ari's murder, written entirely by his uncle.
