Robbery or hate crime? Israeli locksmith murdered in Memphis

The Memphis Police Department is investigating the killing of Aviv Broek, 21, originally from Rehovot, Israel, who was shot to death and found by officers shortly after 1:15 a.m. on Nov. 21 on the 2300 block of Hernando Road in the city.

“There have been no arrests in this case. This is an active investigation and there is no indication at this time of a hate crime,” the Tennessee department’s public information office told JNS. It added that it “is pursuing all leads.”

Israeli media had reported that local police was investigating the killing of Broek, which reports spelled “Brock,” as a suspected terror attack.

Broek, who reportedly is from Rehovot, Israel, was robbed and killed while on a call as a locksmith, according to various press reports.

Ynet quoted a friend of Broek’s, who said that “on Thursday evening, around 10:30 p.m., Aviv received a call to change a lock” and “when he got out of the car in an isolated alley, he was robbed and shot four times in the stomach. According to the police, he did not resist or struggle, yet they shot and killed him.”

The friend told Ynet that another friend, who worked with Broek, “reached him two hours after the shooting. They found him lying on the floor and immediately called the police.”

“They used a location app on their phones, and that’s how they found him,” the source told the Israeli publication. “As soon as the app stopped working, we started to suspect something was up.”

The friend told Ynet that the killer took Broek’s “work equipment worth thousands of dollars, cash and even his passport.” His British passport was recovered but his Israeli one is missing.

The publication also quoted Broek’s older brother Rotem, who told the publication that his brother had reported that “there is no antisemitism” in Memphis.

“We don’t know if that is the background to the case, but in my opinion it is,” the brother told Ynet. “He was a giving person, always ready to help others. When they called him, they claimed it was an urgent situation — that someone’s mother was stuck in a car — and offered to pay him double. They lured him into a trap, bringing him to an abandoned house.”

“He was a man of peace, someone who loved life and new experiences. He was brave and never afraid of anything. This tragedy shocked us,” the brother added. “We thought it was safer there than in Israel. Aviv always told us he took care of himself and avoided dangerous places.”

Though the Memphis police say there is no indication of a hate crime, the family demanded that the FBI investigate that possibility and wondered if this means Zionists are not safe in America.

In a statement, the family said “To date, the Memphis police have provided us very little information and we are concerned… We are aware of the reality that in 2024, Jews are being hunted worldwide. The enemies of the Jewish people have called to “globalize the Intifada” and we are concerned that this may be the case in Memphis.”

His father, Steven Broek, told Memphis’ FOX13 that Aviv had lived in Los Angeles for about five months, then five months ago moved to Memphis because he was an Elvis fan.

In August 2023, Snir Lalum, an Israeli in Birmingham, was murdered at his business by a person who was reportedly seeking work.