The New York Times has subtly changed its headline about the murder of a rabbi in Dubai after facing fierce backlash for seemingly downplaying the ‘antisemitic act of terror.’
Rabbi Zvi Kogan, 28, a Chabad emissary based in Abu Dhabi, was reported missing on Thursday, sparking suspicions that he may have been kidnapped. His body was found by the Emirati authorities early Sunday morning.
Now, the United Arab Emirates announced that it had arrested three suspects in the abduction and murder of Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan who ran a Kosher shop in the city.
Kogan, who had relocated to Dubai in 2022 to lead the Jewish community, was described by Israeli officials as the victim of ‘an abhorrent act of antisemitic terrorism.’
But the Times sparked widespread backlash when they initially reported the story with the headline, ‘Israeli rabbi who disappeared in Dubai is found dead.’
Politicians and public figures erupted on social media with critics accusing the outlet of erasing the violent and antisemitic nature of the brutal crime.
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo accused the outlet of routinely ‘downplaying’ antisemitic acts.
‘Rabbi Kogan was not ‘found dead’, he was murdered,’ Cuomo wrote on X. ‘There is a disturbing pattern whereby some in the media — and particularly the @nytimes— downplay antisemitic acts. It must be called out and addressed.’
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) also slammed the Times, writing, ‘Contrary to the NY Times, Rabbi Zvi Kogan did not just ‘disappear’ in Dubai. He was abducted and murdered because he was a Jew. The media should call the kidnapping and killing of Rabbi Kogan exactly what it is: an act of antisemitic terror.’
Former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh agreed, calling out the outlet to ‘be better.’
‘Excuse me @nytimes, the rabbi didn’t ‘disappear.’ He was abducted and then killed. He was targeted & killed because he was Jewish. It was an act of terrorism. Be better than this New York Times,’
By Monday morning, the headline was quietly updated to, ‘An Israeli Rabbi Is Abducted and Killed in the U.A.E.’
The United Arab Emirates announced that it had arrested three suspects in the murder of Kogan.
‘The ministry of interior announced that the UAE authorities have arrested in record time the three perpetrators involved in the murder’ of Tzvi Kogan, a statement carried by the official WAM news agency said.
The ministry described Mr Kogan as ‘a Moldovan national according to his identification documents at the time of entry into the UAE, where he lived as a resident’.
Kogan’s body had been found by security services in the UAE, the Israeli prime minister’s office and the foreign ministry said.
The Israeli-Moldovan national was living and working in the UAE as a representative of the Chabad Hasidic movement, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish group known for its outreach efforts worldwide.
The Times has faced repeated accusations of antisemitism in its reporting.
In September, The Times has been criticized over an article that claimed Hezbollah terror boss Hassan Nasrallah was a ‘gifted orator’ who wanted ‘equality’ for all religions.
The article, titled ‘Protesters Mourn Nasrallah’s Death Around the World’, was uploaded onto the publication’s website on Saturday and quickly began receiving a flurry of backlash, criticism, and mockery across social media.
The short article – which came in the wake of Nasrallah’s killing- praised the Hezbollah terror boss, calling him a ‘powerful orator’ who was ‘beloved among many Shiite Muslims’, in part for providing ‘social services’ in Lebanon.
It also stated Nasrallah ‘maintained that there should be one Palestine with equality for Muslims, Jews, and Christians’.
But the terror leader notoriously believed in the destruction of the Jewish state and his radical Iran-backed militant organization carried out several deadly attacks on Jews around the world.