Former student killed in West Jerusalem

Former USC student Kalman Levine, 55, was one of three American rabbis killed in an attack on the Kehilat Bnei Torah synagogue in West Jerusalem on Tuesday.

In remembrance · Mourners remember the lives of the victims who were killed during an attack on a synagogue in West Jerusalem Tuesday. – Mariya Dondonyan | Daily Trojan

Armed with a gun, butcher knives and axes, two Palestinian men stormed the synagogue, located in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, during morning prayer services. After killing four and wounding several others, the attackers were killed at the scene in a shootout with police that fatally wounded one officer who died of his injuries on Tuesday evening.

Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Levine enrolled in a pre-dental program at USC in the 1970s following his graduation from Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy in Kansas City, according to the Jewish Journal. He later dropped out of USC to pursue rabbinical study. Levine is survived by his wife and 10 children, according to Jewish Journal.

The USC chapter of J Street U, a student-run political organization advocating for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, released a statement on its Facebook page in response to the gruesome attacks.

“Despite today’s loss, we as both students and Trojans renew our efforts to be a voice for justice and peace for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the post stated. “Now more than ever, we call on all responsible leaders vested in a peaceful future for both peoples to work to calm tensions and avoid calls for revenge and similar actions that only further escalate an already toxic and untenable situation.”

The Jewish community at USC honored the victims’ lives during a vigil hosted at the Chabad house on Tuesday evening.

“It’s in our own personal ability to respond,” Rabbi Dov Wagner said at the vigil. “This is what shows that we do not allow evil to control what we see is important in the world. But rather, we ensure that we are focused. We are responding in the best way possible by adding means to the world.”