Gorkha Community in Israel Holds Candlelight Prayer for Indian National Killed in Jerusalem

PTI, August 22, 2026, Tel Aviv: Members of the Gorkha community in Israel on Friday held a candlelight prayer in Tel Aviv for an Indian national who was killed in an attack allegedly by his employer’s relative in Jerusalem last month, and called for justice for him and support for his family.

Rajiv Acharya, 40, who worked as a caregiver for an elderly couple in Jerusalem, was fatally attacked at their residence on July 23. He suffered multiple injuries after allegedly being attacked with a sharp object and later died from severe blood loss. Israeli prosecutors have filed an indictment against 31-year-old Avior Zaken, who was identified as the grandson of the elderly couple for whom Acharya worked. Zaken is currently in custody and faces a charge of premeditated murder. However, the motive for the killing is not clear yet.

“The Embassy will continue to closely monitor the case and remain in contact with the concerned authorities,” the Indian Embassy said in a post on X on August 19. On Friday, Gorkha community members assembled under the banner of “Gorkha Voice for Justice” at Levinsky Park in Tel Aviv for the peaceful prayer meeting. They lit candles and observed a moment of silence in Acharya's memory.

Acharya belonged to the Gorkha community and was from West Bengal. There are about 3,000 people from the Gorkha community working in Israel, a community member said.

Sara Peri, who works with a caregiver agency and supports caregivers in Israel, joined the gathering in seeking justice for Acharya.

“We know how to be together. You were with us, with Israel, during the war. You didn't leave to be safe in your country. You stayed here with old people,” Peri told the gathering.

“But at this time we need to support you the same way you supported us and to show our concern to the community. It's about demanding justice for Rajiv, who left his family to work here,” Peri added. People in the gathering said they were seeking justice for Acharya lawfully and peacefully, and wanted his family to receive justice and support.

“We will continue to stand united, peacefully and respectfully, in support of Rajiv Acharya’s family and justice,” a community member told PTI.

Acharya's death has raised concerns over the safety of foreign caregivers in Israel, particularly those who live and work inside private residences, according to a submission made by community representatives to the authorities.

The community's appeal said such arrangements can leave workers particularly vulnerable if they face threats, violence or other unsafe circumstances.

It called on Israeli authorities to strengthen preventive measures and create accessible channels through which foreign workers can report threats, abuse or violence without fear.

English translated version of a newspaper of Israel

The caregiver's cries were heard from the room - the grandson accused of murder told his grandmother: "It's from the TV"

Avior Zaken, a released prisoner, has been indicted for the murder of his grandfather's caretaker. According to the indictment, after the stabbings, he claimed that the screams were coming from the television, moved the deceased so that his blood wouldn't stain the carpet - and left after kissing his grandparents.

The accused in the murder of his grandfather's caregiver in Jerusalem leaving the scene | Photo: Police 

Gilad Morag, Maariv's legal correspondent, www.maariv.co.il, 14/08/2026 :  The accused in the murder of his grandfather's caregiver in Jerusalem leaving the scene **| Photo: Police spokesperson

The prosecution filed an indictment this morning with the Jerusalem District Court against Avior Zaken (31), for the intentional murder of Rajiv Acharya , an Indian citizen who served as Zaken's grandfather's caregiver. The prosecution is asking the court to order Zaken's arrest until the end of the legal proceedings against him.

According to the indictment, filed by attorney Jenny Avni of the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, about three weeks ago, Zaken, a released prisoner who was released from prison in July, came to his grandparents' house in Jerusalem to have lunch with them. At the time, he was living in the house of the deceased, who served as Zaken's grandfather's caregiver. After the meal, the deceased went into his room to rest. Shortly thereafter, Zaken went into his room, and during a conversation between them, he decided to kill the deceased.

According to the indictment, Zaken grabbed a sharp, honed object and stabbed the deceased in the neck, and also wounded him in the chest, ear, and nose, with the intention of causing his death. The deceased struggled with Zaken, screamed, and tried to defend himself. When Zaken's grandmother asked from the living room about the meaning of the screams, he falsely replied that the sounds were coming from the television. About a minute later, the deceased tried to escape toward the living room, where he collapsed and died a short time later from excessive blood loss.

Immediately afterwards, Zaken falsely told his grandparents that the deceased had committed suicide. While the deceased was wallowing in his blood and fighting for his life, Zaken moved the carpet on which he had fallen and even moved the deceased so that his blood would not stain the carpet. He then changed his shirt, washed his hands of the deceased's blood and left the house, after kissing his grandparents goodbye. Zaken took with him the blood-stained shirt and the object with which he had killed the deceased. The indictment charges Zaken with the crime of intentional murder.

Attorney Avni said: "The deceased came to Israel to work as a caregiver for an elderly person, leaving behind his family. It was precisely inside the house where he worked, a place where he was supposed to feel safe, that he met his death with severe violence, without a known motive. The murder took place at noon, at the home of Avior Zaken's grandparents, who hosted him for lunch, almost before their eyes.

She further explained that the gravity of the act is compounded by Zaken's cold-blooded behavior immediately afterward - the lies he told his grandparents about the screams heard from the room, the false claim that the deceased committed suicide, and then his leisurely exit from the apartment. "This behavior illustrates in our eyes the chilling ease with which the deceased's life was taken and the gravity of the act. We share in the deep sorrow of the deceased's family, who lost their loved one after he traveled far from his home and family to work in Israel - and never returned to them."