Rabbi Yishai Por z”l, 52, was murdered Wednesday night while learning Torah inside Kollel Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak.

According to eyewitnesses, the attacker -believed to be mentally unstable – entered the shul, pulled out a sharp object, and repeatedly stabbed Rabbi Por z”l as his 13-year-old son watched in horror.

Hatzalah and other emergency medical teams rushed to the scene and treated the victim, who was critically wounded. He was transported to the hospital while undergoing CPR as doctors battled for roughly an hour to save his life before pronouncing him dead.

Yechiel Goldman, operations officer for ZAKA, described the aftermath of the attack.

“The scenes inside the synagogue were extremely difficult: the holy books and study benches were stained with blood. ZAKA volunteers, operating under these circumstances with deep reverence, are cooperating with investigators from the forensic identification division of the Israel Police and assisting in collecting the many evidentiary and forensic findings left at the scene.”

Israel Police opened an investigation into the killing and said a suspect has been taken into custody.