A Statement from the Family of Ephraim Gordon

We’re the family of Ephraim Gordon, may his memory be a blessing, who was murdered in Baltimore on Monday, 5/3/2021. We asked the press to come here and listen because we have an important point to make that the media hasn’t been conveying truthfully. This event in Baltimore with my brother Effy wasn’t a robbery gone wrong. We’re dealing here with an antisemitic act, an act of hatred, an act of terrorism against the Jewish people, against my brother who was visibly Jewish, wearing a yarmulke he wasn’t scared to wear.

Effy was staying in a Jewish neighborhood in Baltimore, wearing a yarmulke. Also, because of the Omer, he was unshaven and had a beard. On the day of the event, he went out, and when he came back, around midnight, he parked not far from the entrance to the home, 150 meters. Three terrorists ambushed him at the end of the street. They saw my brother parking and walking towards them. When he reached the door, they attacked him.

At that moment, neighbors heard hateful slogans being shouted out. Seconds later, they shot Effy in the stomach. They didn’t let him live. They murdered my brother.

For the media to come and say that we’re dealing with a robbery gone wrong makes no sense. Why? Nothing was taken. His bag, his money, his wallet, his headphones—all were left behind. Even his passport, and a passport you can sell on the black market—everything was left behind. It’s simply a murder because Effy was a Jew.

That same evening, my uncle told him, before he went out, maybe take off the yarmulke, or put on a hat instead. He really wanted to go out, and they couldn’t find a hat, so my uncle said, “just take off your yarmulke and go out.” But Effy said “I don’t want to do that. I feel that it’s my identity, and I want to keep my yarmulke on.” He didn’t take it off. And what’s important to us in our family is to say that this isn’t a robbery. He was killed because he was Jewish. He wasn’t ashamed, he didn’t take off his yarmulke, or shave off his beard, he carried on.

And why are we, as Jews, need to feel afraid, to take off the necklace with the Star of David? Why should I feel afraid to speak in Hebrew or write in Hebrew? I don’t carry the Israeli flag around, because we’re afraid. My brother traveled to the United States, not some third-world country. He visited a Jewish community, and we never imagined that something like that could happen there.

And I would very much like, if there’s some official listening, some official in the state who could tell us what’s going on. They’ve given us no details. We know nothing. We want details, we want recognition that this is an act of terrorism, a hate crime against Jews. Because my brother didn’t die for nothing, and it’s important to me to emphasize that point for all to hear, that it’s hard for me to accept that my brother died during a robbery attempt. There was no sign of a violent struggle. His watch, his backpack—it’s all here, we have it. Even cash, and more than just a single dollar—it was all left untouched. And if three people wanted to rob him, they didn’t have to shoot him. They could’ve just held his hands together, beat him up, I don’t know, and grab his bag and go, and then later they could’ve looked in it and see what’s in it. They did none of that. So I would have been very happy if the media checked their facts with us, because it was very difficult for me to read the reports, and I’ll be happy if someone got in touch with us and found ways to move forward and help us.