By COLlive reporter
Aaron Rajman, an Orthodox Jewish Mixed Martial Arts fighter living in Boca Raton, Florida, was murdered Monday during a home invasion.
He was 25.
Rajman was a professional Mixed Martial Artist and athlete. Born in the Bronx, New York, he lived in Boca Raton with his mother and siblings, and attended Chabad of Boca Raton directed by Shliach Rabbi Zalman Bukiet and his wife Chanie.
“Aaron was an extremely sweet individual, who changed his whole life through Chabad,” Rabbi Bukiet told COLlive. “He believed that Chasidus teaches us to bring up your neshama and gain self-control – and he lived that.”
Rajman trained out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek and was ranked in the top five 145lb amateur MMA fighters in the country.
In a video interview, Rajman, who was known for entering the ring in a Yarmulka and Tzitzis, explains that he is an observant Jew, and starts his days learning and Davening at Chabad of Boca Raton.
“He was a mentor to many kids, and a role model,” Rabbi Bukiet said.
Rajman’s many friends were heartbroken about the tragic news on Tuesday morning.
David Karpel, an English and social studies teacher at Yeshiva Tiferes Torah in Boca Raton told COLlive he first met Rajman 4 years ago at the gym where they both trained in martial arts.
“I walked in to the gym, wearing my Kippah and Tzitzis, and Aaron, in his Kippah and Tzitizis as well, walked up to me and introduced himself,” Karpel told COLlive. “We had an immediate connection,” he said.
“He exemplified the best qualities of what it means to be a mentsch,” said Karpel. “He was so open, gracious and giving – he went beyond all boundaries to help everyone he met, he would literally give you the shirt off his back.”
Karpel and Rajman went on to partner in giving Krav Maga classes to young boys in the area, because “he wanted Jewish kids to be able to walk around feeling confident and safe.”
“He was an amateur fighter with an incredible record, and that takes a lot of control and self-discipline and dedication,” Karpel said. “He loved life and had many, many friends from all walks of life – Jewish and non-Jewish, and he invited many of them to his Shabbos table.”
Rajman, whose mother and siblings were not at home at the time of the invasion, was shot around 10:24 p.m. Monday night at his home in the 22700 block of 65th Terrace.
Police said men entered the home and an altercation ensued that resulted in Rajman being shot. The attackers fled in a vehicle in an unknown direction. The case is being investigated as a homicide.
Aaron is survived by his mother, Lauren, and siblings Yankel, Tony, Chapin, Logan, Ariana and Rachel.
His father Aaron Rajman obm passed away a few years ago.
Levaya information will be updated when available.
Click here to assist the Rajman family with funeral expenses.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
Letting people know what lesson there is to learn (at least one lesson, anyway) is not ‘selfish’.
And telling me I have no right to let others know is the same as saying those others have no right to know this lesson is there to be learned.
And bashing my posts to supposedly complain about ‘bashing’ is hypocritical.
When did Torah or the Rebbe OBM ever say it was selfish’ to teach people?
No one said you shouldn’t take a lesson from this, lessons can be learned from everything. But to use the story of his murder as support for your political views while at the same time bashing a group of people with their own political beliefs, is selfish and wrong. This is not the place, nor is it the time. Please be sensitive to those in pain, and don’t make this about yourself or about political opinions. Thank you. BDE
To claim that even with guns this young man could not possibly have stayed alive is an unbelievable claim. Only G-d can possibly know such things. Saying that more rights for self defense is a lesson we all need to learn. This young man would certainly have had a much better chance to defend himself if he had a gun. To say he would not have had a greater chance is ridiculous. There is reason why someone learns of something. We are supposed to learn from everything. To say that this is a horrible tragedy (which it is) and that… Read more »
My heart aches for this tragic loss to you, David Karpel, the family, the Bukiets, community & all klal Yisrael!
I hope they catch and punish the perpetrators of this heinous crime! My heart goes out to the family!
Baruch Dayan Emet
Just plain tragic. BD’E. My heart aches for his family & friend & the entire klal.
Please, Yidden, stop with the gun rights and antisemitism agenda-ridden comments. This was a home invasion crime. Without giving details I can tell you that even a special forces commando who owned multiple guns would have suffered the same tragic fate in the same scenario. This has nothing to do with getting armed and nothing to do with antisemitism. Stop tarnishing this horrible tragedy further with scurrilous assumptions that have nothing to do with reality. A beautiful neshama has passed. We who loved him dearly are left with shattered hearts. Waking up today knowing he is not around, that I… Read more »
seems like they came for him only, possibly out of jealousy and anti-semitism. He was extremely good at this MMA fighting skill and very openly Jewish! BDE, Hashem should avenge his blood!
I am #13. You are right about Florida. I am not saying that such laws are why this promising young man died defending his home from a gang of thugs. I am only pointing out that in other states in other cases, where people advocate for our 2nd Amendment rights, the responses of the liberals are the kind I mentioned above about ‘being tough enough without guns’. I even met a frum Jew who said even soldiers had no need for guns and that anyone who had guns was ‘just playing cowboy with a dangerous weapon no one should have’.… Read more »
Even if he had a gun maybe hidden did not have the time to look for it… Baruj Dayan HaEmet!!!
hate crime jealousy anti semetic thug did this . should get the death penalty the man was in his own home sounds deliberate to me should be investigated and prosecuted to the highest degree florid isnt safe alot of shootings and corruption there RIP so sorry for this for his family too peace.
While the logic may be there, keep in mind that It is legal to own a gun in Florida–this sad turn of an event was probablly more about the timing then the law on guns.
possible hate crime.
The article says men entered the property. Were they known accomplices? How did police know whether they were men or even women?
bde- what a tragedy. we should only know from simchas.
Why?!? Please Moshiach Now!
He should be a Gutte Beter for us all and finally persuade or coerce Hashem however, whatever to send Moshiach at last! Enough is definitely enough, sickening!
We need moshiach now
Seems very ugly and likely deliberate. He was doing a Kiddush Hashem! Spoke very proudly of his Judaism and he was successful too. Could make some less capable anti-semites jealous and worse. Very tragic!
My heart breaks for his mother… BDE… May his books be avenged. Such a tragedy. He had the whole world in his pocket…
first the husband and now him. when there are several tragedies in the same family ,it is beyond horrIfic. no words, how much can a mother take???
Liberals keep telling us that we should have no right to have guns for self defense. ‘Just be tough and fight back without guns’, they say. ‘You are just a cowardly weakling if you need guns to defend yourself’, I have seen many say in posts on blogs on the internet. Well here is someone who was a top ranked mixed martial arts fighter, about as tough as they come and he died not having guns to defend himself from the criminals who had their own illegal guns, which they would have had no matter what the law said about… Read more »
First was raksin now another! There needs to be a stop! Moshiach now
BDE!!!
May his neshama have an aliya and his blood be avenged!
ברוך דיין האמת
just like rabbi raksin i highly doubt it that they will catch the guys that killed aaron rajman hyd
bde
Too sad
Baruch Dayan Ha Emet
Ad massai
BD”E
עד מתי enough !
A tragedy!