Rabbi Meir Turgeman Killed in Fatal Head-On Collision Near Beit Shemesh

In the early hours between Thursday and Friday, a deadly head-on collision occurred on Road 383, south of Zekharia, resulting in two fatalities and one injury. The crash, which took place at 2:03 a.m., involved two private vehicles colliding frontally. Among the deceased was Rabbi Meir Turgeman, 42, from Beit Shemesh, who had recently celebrated his son's bar mitzvah and leaves behind nine children.

Emergency services including Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah, and ZAKA responded to the scene, finding two men in their 40s without signs of life, one trapped inside his vehicle. Paramedics attempted resuscitation but were forced to declare both men dead at the site. A woman in her 30s was also injured and evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in moderate condition.

ZAKA volunteers described the scene as severe, with both vehicles heavily damaged and overturned on opposite sides of the road. Firefighters conducted a complex extraction to free one of the victims. Police from the Jerusalem district, traffic department, and Border Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash near Tel Azeka.

The tragedy has deeply affected the Beit Shemesh community, mourning the loss of Rabbi Turgeman, a father of nine. Authorities continue to examine the accident's cause as they provide support to the victims' families.