Page 9 - atoday

WORLD NEWS 9
Wednesday 28 October

American killed in Palestinian attack was peace activist

in being kind and he never Glastonbury under a pro- a two-state solution and
gram called Project Con- wanted to see Arabs and
hurt a soul in his life,” Avni cern, she said. Jews living together in
Rabbi Richard Plavin of peace,” he said.
said, adding that thousands Beth Shalom B’nai Israel in Lakin was on the bus re-
Manchester, Connecticut, turning from a doctor’s ap-
of people from around the which Lakin attended be- pointment for minor back
fore moving to Israel, said pain when “he was bru-
world have contacted him Lakin was a passionate talized by two Arabs from
man who pursued peace east Jerusalem who got on
to express their shock and and justice. He said Lakin a bus, shot him in the head,
was a Freedom Rider in the then stabbed him in the
condolences after his fa- 1960s, working to desegre- face, then stabbed him in
gate the South. the head” and continued
ther’s death. “He was really a peace- stabbing him multiple times
nik. He believed deeply in in the body, his son said.q
Suzanne Hertel of West

Hartford, Connecticut

taught under Lakin at

the Hopewell School in

Glastonbury, where he was

principal. He championed

an effort to bring students

Israeli policeman escorts Jewish visitors as they walk past the from inner-city Hartford to
Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy
site, a hilltop compound in the Old City that is revered by Jews
and Muslims, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. Israeli and Jordanian offi-
cials said Tuesday that new surveillance cameras should be in-
stalled at the walled Jerusalem shrine at the epicenter of Israel-
Palestinian violence within days, with the goal of streaming the
footage live on the Internet for maximum transparency.

(AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

IAN DEITCH men boarded a bus in Jeru-
Associated Press salem and began shooting
JERUSALEM (AP) — An and stabbing passengers.
American educator who It was one of the bloodi-
marched for civil rights in est attacks in recent vio-
the 1960s and advocated lence in which Palestinian
coexistence between Mus- attackers killed 11 Israelis.
lims and Jews when he In that time, 55 Palestinians
moved to Israel died Tues- have been killed, includ-
day after succumbing to ing 35 identified by Israel
wounds sustained in a Pal- as attackers and the rest in
estinian attack on a bus in clashes with security forces.
Jerusalem two weeks ago. Lakin was originally from
It was one of many attacks Newton, Massachusetts,
in a month of violence trig- and a longtime principal in
gered in part over Pales- Glastonbury, Connecticut.
tinian allegations of Israel His Facebook page dis-
changing long standing played an image of Israeli
agreements at Jerusalem’s and Arab kids hugging un-
most sensitive holy site, der the word “coexist.”
charges Israel has strongly Micah Avni said his father
denied and said amount to was a beloved educator
incitement to violence. and author of a book on
In an effort to lower ten- teaching. He was an ele-
sions at the site, Israeli and mentary school principal in
Jordanian officials said the U.S. and taught English
Tuesday that new surveil- in mixed classes of Muslims
lance cameras should be and Jews in Jerusalem af-
installed within days at the ter moving to Israel in 1984.
shrine, with the goal of In the 1960s, Lakin was ac-
streaming footage live on- tive in the civil rights move-
line for maximum transpar- ment in the U.S., marching
ency. Jordan serves as the with Martin Luther King and
custodian of the Muslim- bringing students from Bos-
administered site. ton to the South for sit-ins,
Richard Lakin, 76, died of Avni said.
wounds sustained on Oct. “He was a big believer in
13 when two Palestinian people and in peace and