Tuesday’s horrific terror attack in Jerusalem claimed the life of its fifth victim, a Druze police officer.

Police Master Sergeant Zidan Sief, 30, from the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat, died late Tuesday night from wounds sustained during the massacre perpetrated by two Arab terrorists in a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday morning.

Sief was one of the first responders on the scene and was critically wounded during the ensuing gun fight with the terrorists.

Sief joined the Israel Police force in April 2011 and served as a traffic control inspector at the Jerusalem Police Department. He was posthumously promoted to First Sergeant.

He is survived by his wife, a four-month-old baby, his parents and five siblings. His will be laid to rest on Wednesday afternoon in his home town.

Druze community leaders and residents of Seif’s village in the Galilee praised him as a hero. “We are proud of our sons who act fearlessly on the front against terrorist attacks,” said Muefek Tarif, a spiritual leader of the Druze community.

Two Arabs entered a synagogue and hacked and shot four of the worshipers: Rabbis Moshe Twersky, Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, Kalman Levine and Aryeh Kupinsky. Seven other Israelis were wounded, three of them seriously, including another police officer.

In total, 11 Israelis have been murdered during the past several weeks, including three-month-old Chaya Zisel Braun.

Bravery Under Fire

Superintendent A., who serves as a Forensic Laboratory Specialist in the Division of Identification and Forensic Science (DIFS), was the police officer who eliminated the two terrorists.

“It began as regular morning for me,” he said. “I was sitting in my car when I heard the report from dispatch. We drove as fast as we could. It was absolutely clear to me that this was an unusual event.”

“When I arrived at the scene I saw two policemen at the entrance to the Yeshiva and continued to hear shooting. It was clear to me that if I stay outside people will be murdered inside,” he explained. “The policeman standing near me was shot and wounded and I understood I was in the line of fire. I saw two Arabs, one was holding a gun and a butcher’s knife and the other one was holding a knife drenched in blood. I understood it was me or them, and I shot them both.”

Superintendent A. entered the building to continue his search for more terrorists. “One look inside and I saw lots and lots of blood. Ultra Orthodox Jews lying on the ground. Massacre. And basically this is when my role in the incident ended.”

Author: Aryeh Savir
Staff Writer, United with Israel