Rabbi Akiva Pashkos Hy"d, the 45-year-old
gabbai of Jerusalem's Bayit Vegan Chassidim
synagogue, was murdered in a terrorist attack on the night
of 1 Shevat in the Jerusalem Atarot industrial area. He was
brought to his eternal rest on Thursday night after
midnight.
Rabbi Pashkos set out Thursday evening at about 6:30 from
the factory in Atarot where he had been employed for the
past few months as foreman. He brought his workers to the
nearby Palestinian barricade, and then headed back into the
industrial area on his way to Jerusalem. He was then shot
from an ambush within an area under total Israeli
jurisdiction.
Rabbi Pashkos was mortally injured. Guards in the industrial
district, hearing the shots, alerted the security forces,
who rapidly arrived on the scene. After making intensive
efforts to resuscitate him, they had no choice but to
declare his death.
The security forces believes that the terrorists arrived
from the Palestinian village of Bir Nabbalah, located just
tens of meters away from the Atarot industrial area. It has
yet to be determined whether the terrorists hid in an
abandoned structure or fired from a moving car. Terrorists
also fired at the security forces arriving on the scene a
few minutes after the attack. However, these terrorists fled
into Bir Nabalah.
Rabbi Akiva Pashkos lived in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of
Jerusalem, and was gabbai of the Chassidim synagogue
there for the past few years. He was friendly to everyone,
and his affability was well known.
After studying in yeshivos kedoshos, he married, and
for many years engaged in earning a livelihood, and was
kovei'a ittim leTorah. He was scrupulously honest in
his dealings and was a well known ba'al chessed who
helped the many who turned to him.
Reb Akiva recently starting working as a manager in a tissue
factory in Atarot.
He was known as an outstanding baal chesed. He ran a
gemach and lent large sums of money to those in need.
Instead of putting his savings into the bank or investing
them for monetary profit, he invested them in
chessed.
He often called people to ask if they needed money. When he
was told the news that a friend of his passed away, he
immediately tore up the debt that his friend owed him,
saying that the money was his donation to help the bereaved
family.
Until recently he worked in Bnei Brak, returning daily to
Bayit Vegan. He posted notices around the neighborhood
saying that whoever wanted to come back from Bnei Brak at
night is welcome to call him for a ride.
He is survived by his wife, Hila, and their six children,
including his daughter who is married to Rav Yaakov
Yakobovitz. He is also survived by his mother and a brother
and two sisters. Hashem yikom domo, tehei nishmoso
tzeruroh bitzror hachaim.
