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Yaakov Aminov
July 4, 2002 - Yaakov Aminov, 46, of Los Angeles, and Victoria Hen, 25, an El Al ticket agent, were shot and killed at the El Al ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport. Four others were wounded.
The airport attack was carried out by Hesham Mohamed Hadayet, a 41-year-old Egyptian national, carrying a 45-caliber semiautomatic Glock pistol, a 9-millimeter handgun and a 6-inch knife. Hadayet pulled out a gun, shot Hen, then began firing at 80 to 90 people who were waiting in line for El Al's outbound flight to Toronto and ultimately to Tel Aviv. He was shot dead by an El Al security guard. When police searched his apartment after the attack, they found a sign taped to his door saying, "Read the Koran." U.S. authorities subsequently ruled it a terrorist attack related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Yaakov Aminov was the owner of a jewelry distribution company in Los Angeles. He had accompanied his friend Michael Shabtai to the airport for his flight to Tel Aviv and was killed in the shooting. At a Sephardic congregation in North Hollywood, California, he was eulogized as a man of rare kindness, generosity, honesty and devotion to his family and Judaism. Known as "Reb Yaacov," his family roots were in Central Asia.
Yaakov Aminov was buried in Israel. He is survived by his pregnant wife Anat, and their five children, ranging in age from 2 to 9.
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