The heartbroken rabbi whose British-Israeli wife and two daughters were killed in a brutal drive-by shooting in the West Bank has revealed how proud he is of his family.
Rabbi Leo Dee also praised the British government for “unequivocally opposing terror” after Secretary of State James Cleverly condemned the “senseless violence”.
Mr. Dee’s daughters, Rina and Maia, aged 15 and 20, were killed by 20 rounds from a Kalashnikov rifle and his wife Lucy was shot twice as they drove through the Jordan Valley for an Easter holiday at Lake Jordan on April 7. Galilee.
Ms Dee was airlifted to hospital but succumbed to her injuries three days later. Mr Dee tragically described how their ‘family of seven is now a family of four’.
Speak against sky newsMr. Dee – formerly the senior rabbi of Radlett United Synagogue in Hertfordshire and assistant rabbi in Hendon, north London – said: ‘I am immensely proud of them all.’
Rabbi Leo Dee (pictured), whose British-Israeli wife and two daughters were killed in a brutal West Bank shooting, has revealed pride in his family
Mother Lucy Dee left, died from her injuries after the shooting, three days after her daughters Rina (center) and Maia (right) were killed in the attack
Rabbi Leo Dee also praised the British government for “unequivocally opposing terror” after Secretary of State James Cleverly condemned the “senseless violence”.
He also admitted that he has no “hatred” towards the attackers who killed his family, but hopes they will be brought to justice to prevent another attack.
Mr. Dee led his wife and two daughters in a separate car with two of his children.
Tragically, suspected Palestinian gunmen shot down the car in which Mrs. Dee and her two daughters were. After forcing the car off the road, the terrorists stopped and continued firing at them.
Mr Dee described the pain of trying to make contact with the three, but being unable to get hold of them. The rabbi’s son then saw a photo of the car in which the couple suddenly saw their suitcases covered in blood.
Despite being airlifted to a hospital in Jerusalem, Lucy never regained consciousness and died on April 10.
She donated her organs after her death and has already saved five lives, including an Arab – something Mr Dee said was “important to us because Lucy was very fond of peaceful relations with our neighbors and I think she would have been very proud that she had saved her.” the life of an Arab’.
Mr Dee described his wife as an ‘exceptional human being’, adding: ‘She was a community builder, she was a giver and that really was her defining characteristic.
“The kids picked up on that and they learned to give.
‘She [Lucy] stayed up all night talking to girls, especially girls who were having a hard time in the group, and she tried to help them through their difficulties. She was just busy, busy all the time. I am extremely proud of them all.’
Relatives mourn next to the bodies of Maya and Rina during their funeral in the Israeli settlement of Kfar Etzion in the West Bank
Israeli medics and police officers check a damaged car at the scene of the April 7 shooting
British sisters Maia (left) and Rina (right) were killed in a shooting in the West Bank on Friday
Following the shocking attack — which occurred amid rising violence in the West Bank between Palestinians and Israeli factions — Secretary of State James Clever publicly called for an end to the brutality.
He wrote on Twitter: “Tragic news that Leah Dee has also passed away following the horrific attacks in the West Bank. There can be no justification for the murder of Leah and her two daughters, Maia and Rina. We will continue to work with the Israeli authorities to end this senseless violence.”
Rabbi Dee praised Mr Cleverly for condemning the attack – something he labeled the ‘Cleverly Declaration’ – taking inspiration from the Balfour Declaration in 1917, in which Britain said it would support the formation of a Jewish state in support Palestine.
“I think that statement, which says that Britain is unequivocally against violence and terrorism, is a milestone in British history in the way it has dealt with the State of Israel,” Dee said.
He described previous convictions of violence as “hazy,” but hopes the change in attitude could “be the beginning of a new cycle of peace.”
Friends and relatives of Maia and Rina mourned during their funerals last Sunday
An aerial view shows friends and family of Maia and Rina gathering for their funeral
Relatives lean sadly over the sisters’ shrouded bodies at their Easter Sunday funeral
Thousands of mourners have traveled from far and wide to pay their respects to the three victims of the West Bank shooting. They brought food to the Shiva family, the seven-day mourning period in Judaism.
Heartbreaking photos from the sisters’ funeral on Easter Sunday showed Mr. Dee and other family members weeping as they leaned over the cloth-wrapped bodies – both embroidered with a Star of David.
Israel’s prime minister, who has strongly condemned the attack, is among those who visited the grieving family.
“Now your wife and daughters will live on through you,” Benjamin Netanyahu told Dee, the Times of Israel reports.
The shooting occurred earlier this month amid escalating violence in response to clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.
Violent scenes showed police using guns to beat worshipers barricaded inside the mosque, who retaliated by firing fireworks and throwing stones.
Following the deaths of Lucy, Rina and Maia Dee, Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy and wounded two others in an attack on a refugee camp near Jericho in the occupied West Bank.