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Dec 2, 2008 8:10 pm US/Pacific
Israeli Activist Killed In SF Elevator Shaft Fall
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Dan Kliman, who fell to his death in an elevator shaft.
SF Voice For Israel
The man whose body was found in an elevator shaft of a historic San Francisco building was a founder of the activist group San Francisco Voice for Israel, a spokesman for the Anti-Defamation League said Tuesday.
Dr. Daniel Kliman, a 38-year-old Oakland man, frequently spoke out in favor of Israel at demonstrations and counter-demonstrations in the Bay Area, according to Jonathan Bernstein of the San Francisco chapter of the Anti-Defamation League, an organization that fights anti-Semitism.
Bernstein said the initial indications from San Francisco police are that Kliman's death was "an unfortunate accident," but he added, "it's hard to know."
Bernstein said that in addition to being an Israeli activist, Kliman practiced internal medicine in Alameda and was "a bicycle enthusiast and environmentalist who rode his bike everywhere."
Police were notified about 12:30 p.m. Monday of a body found in the Sharon Building at 55 New Montgomery St. in San Francisco. The body was identified as that of Kliman.
Sgt. Lyn Tomioka said Kliman's injuries appeared to be consistent with a fall down the elevator shaft.
An autopsy was conducted Tuesday, but authorities did not immediately comment on the results.
Bernstein said Kliman took Arabic speaking courses at the Pacific Arabic Resources School, which has its classrooms on the seventh floor of the Sharon Building. The building is located across the street from the Palace Hotel, another San Francisco landmark.
Bernstein said that funeral services for Kliman will be held in Schenectady, N.Y., which is where he's from originally. There may also be services at a later date at Beth Jacob Congregation in Oakland, where Kliman was a member.
The
Web site for San Francisco Voice For Israel describes the group as "a broad based coalition of activists from all political perspectives, left to right, Jewish and non-Jewish, with various viewpoints on issues such as settlements and the peace process."
The group indicates on the web site, "Our mission is to stand up to anti-Israel speech wherever it may surface. Over the past two decades, those in the Bay Area who support Israel's struggle to survive in the face of unrelenting terrorism have been too quiet in confronting public attacks on Israel."
