Julia Hyman, Jewish graduate of Cornell, killed in Manhattan shooting

Julia Hyman, a Jewish graduate of Cornell University, was identified on Tuesday as one of the four victims of Monday night’s shooting attack in Manhattan.

Hyman, 27, was murdered after the shooter, Shane Tamura, accidentally took the wrong elevator to her employer’s floor and encountered her, according to the New York Post.

Hyman had worked for Rudin Management, the company that owns the skyscraper where Tamura launched his rampage.

She graduated from Cornell in 2020 and had worked as a Rudin associate for less than a year, according to her LinkedIn page.

Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff issued a statement in her memory on Tuesday in which he said, “Today, I join you in mourning the loss of Julia Hyman, a 2020 graduate of the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration, who has been identified by news reports as one of the victims in Monday’s horrific shooting attack in New York City.”

“Julia, a native of Manhattan and an associate at Rudin Management, graduated summa cum laude with a major in hotel and restaurant administration and a minor in real estate. Her first job after graduating was with Sagehall Partners, founded by a fellow Cornellian. Julia was on campus earlier this summer for her five-year reunion,” he added.

“We are devastated for Julia’s friends and family, including her parents and sister Ali, a 2017 graduate of the College of Human Ecology. We also extend our sympathy to the loved ones of the three other victims, including New York Police Officer Didarul Islam. We extend our deepest condolences to all the families whose loved ones were lost in this senseless act,” said Kotlikoff.

Hyman is the second Jewish victim of Monday’s shooting. Wesley LePatner had been named earlier as one of the victims.

The UJA Federation of New York issued an announcement on LePatner’s death, saying, "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Wesley LePatner, a cherished member of the UJA community and a dedicated member of our board of directors, who was killed in yesterday’s mass shooting in Midtown."

Wesley was described as "exceptional in every aspect of her life — personally, professionally, and philanthropically. She was extremely engaged as a member of the Jewish community. She was a board member of the Heschel Jewish Day School on the Upper West Side. As a leader of rare talent and integrity in the financial world, she brought vision, intelligence, and deep compassion to all that she pursued."

After October 7th, she led a UJA solidarity mission to Israel, exemplifying her deep dedication to the Jewish people in times of heartbreak and need. She lived with courage and purpose, nurturing in her two children a profound love for Judaism and the Jewish community.