Pizza Hut shone a light into the darkness Monday with its statement to continue paying the salary of a slain employee to his family for as long as the restaurant exists. The company said it would also establish a fund for the bereaved family.

Yemanu Binyamin Zalka, a 21-year-old former IDF soldier, had just completed his shift at the restaurant on Independence Day last week when he was stabbed by a group of teenagers as he left the establishment. He had asked them to stop spraying foam inside the restaurant, and they waited for him to come out to exact their revenge. He succumbed to his wounds Thursday.

Zalka worked at the Kfar Ganim location in Petah Tikva, starting as a delivery person and working his way up to shift supervisor.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Pizza Hut Saturday to demand action, joined by politicians from the opposition who exploited the opportunity to score points against Itamar Ben-Gvir, minister of national security, who they said bears ultimate responsibility due to what they describe as his lax attitude toward law enforcement. Nine suspects were arrested in connection with the murder.

The mayor of Petah Tikva expressed shock and grief over the murder.

“There are no words to describe the intensity of the shock and pain of losing young lives in such harsh and cruel circumstances,” Mayor Rami Greenberg said.

“This is an incomprehensible event that illustrates how violence can escalate in an instant and exact the heaviest price. The teens who attacked and murdered him will be caught by the police and brought to justice,” he added.

A coworker of Zalka’s at the pizzeria also expressed his devastation.

“I’m shocked this has happened here,” he said. “I can’t calm down from it. He was such a good person. How could someone be murdered over something so stupid? He had his whole life ahead of him. We are in complete shock.”

While there is no compensation for the loss of a life, Pizza Hut’s act of kindness will brighten the lives of Zalka’s family and serve as a shining example in a world that desperately needs it.