'Heinous act of terror': Edmonton teen killed in Jerusalem bombing

An Israeli-Canadian teen who was killed in a bombing in Jerusalem Wednesday was from Edmonton.

He's been identified as 16-year-old Aryeh Schupak. He was killed in one of two blasts near crowded bus stops, which also injured at least 18 other people.

The Jewish Federation of Edmonton confirmed to CTV News that Schupak is from the Alberta capital and once attended the Edmonton Menorah Academy.

More recently, Schupak attended Harei Yehuda Yeshiva school in Jerusalem. The teen had started his second year of studies there in September, a rabbi told a reporter Wednesday.

“He was always smiling. Everyone loved him. Loved him. And he loved everyone else,” Rabbi Refaen Rockmill said.

“He always did everything to try his best, and in getting on with life, and doing the right things and trying his best to be a good person.”

The blasts went off during rush-hour traffic, in what police said were attacks by Palestinians. A funeral was held for the boy just hours after his death.

"We condemn this heinous act of terror that claimed the life of a young man and injured too many and our thoughts are with the family of the young victim," said Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the attacks on Twitter and paid tribute to Schupak.

“Incredibly saddened to learn about the death of a young Canadian in the terrorist attack in Jerusalem. I'm sending his family and friends my deepest condolences,” Trudeau said.

“I'm also thinking of those who were injured. Canada condemns this violence in the strongest possible terms.”

Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been surging for months.

More than 130 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and East Jerusalem this year, making 2022 the deadliest year since 2006.

At least eight Israelis have been killed in the most recent wave of Palestinian attacks.

“It is a heartbreaking day with Israel once again shaken by a horrific deadly terror attack that has killed a Canadian-Israeli boy. This is a heinous act of violence and hatred that targeted innocent people simply because they are Jewish,” Michael Levitt, of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, said in a statement.

With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press