A devastating accident on Route 17 has left the Vishnitzer community in mourning after a horrific collision claimed the life of a beloved Yungerman, returning from a Vishnitzer Rebbeisha chasunah in Monsey. Sources tell YWN that R’ Mordachai Zafir Z”L, 54, and his 17-year-old son were traveling back to the Vishnitz (Gibbers) community in Kiamesha after attending the chasunah of the granddaughter of the Viznitzer Rebbe of Monsey and the grandson of the Viznitzer Rebbe of Kiamesha when tragedy struck. At approximately 1:45 AM, near exits 126/127, a wrong-way driver collided head-on with their vehicle in a fatal crash. R’ Mordachai Z”L was tragically niftar at the scene.

Rose Girone, believed to be the oldest living Holocaust survivor, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 113. Girone ran a knitting shop in Forest Hills, Queens, and credited the craft with helping to sustain her family during the Holocaust. She was also a dedicated witness to history, sharing her experiences with the USC Shoah Foundation, the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, and other institutions. Born in Janov, Poland, in 1912, Girone’s family later settled in Hamburg, Germany, where they operated a theatrical costume shop. In 1938, she married Julius Mannheim in an arranged marriage and moved to Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland) just as Nazi persecution escalated.

After nearly a week of extensive search efforts, Stewart “Stewie” Mandel, a former president of the Swan Lake Shul, has tragically been found deceased. Mr. Mandel, who was 69 years old, had been missing since last Tuesday, last seen in Presidential Estates in Swan Lake, NY. Law enforcement and volunteers had been actively searching for Mr. Mandel throughout the Catskills region, but efforts yielded no leads. On Sunday morning, a Catskills Hatzolah volunteer spotted his vehicle off-road in the Harris area. Upon further inspection, authorities found Mandel inside the vehicle, but tragically, he was no longer alive. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under investigation, and officials have not yet released further details on the apparent accident.

YWN regrets to inform you of the petirah of Reb Yitzchok Stefansky z”l, who was niftar in the wee hours of Sunday morning. He was 88. Rev Yitzchok, the owner of Dagim Fish and an understated talmid chochom, is perhaps best known for being one of the founders of the famed Lakewood Minyan in Boro Park, where he served as gabbai for half a century. He is survived by his children: Shmuel, Shua, Yaakov, Chaim Yisroel, Bentzy, Moshe, Shneur, Hadassah Oelbaum, Naomi Goldstein, Leah Kaufman, Shulamis Schuck, and Rivky Gold. The levaya is scheduled to take place at 10:00 am at the Lakewood Chapel, 613 Ramsey Ave., followed by a second levaya at the Lakewood Minyan in BP at 12:15. Baruch Dayan Ha’Emes.

YWN regerets to inform you of the Petira of Rebbtizen Ettel Gestetner A”H**, the Almanah of Hagaon HaRav Nosson Gestetner ZT”L, Mechaber of Teshuvos Lehoros Nosson, and one of the previous leading Poskim in Eretz Yisroel. She was Niftar at the age of 93 at Maayanei Hayeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak. Born in Austria in 1931 (5691), she was the daughter of Hagaon HaRav Meir Chaim Ungar ZT”L, the Av Beis Din of Lackenbach, Hungary, and Rebbetzin Sarah A”H. Her father later moved to Yerushalayim, where he authored Maor Chaim and Maor HaTorah. In 1951, she married HaRav Nosson Gestetner ZT”L, whose Chasunah was held in Yerushalayim in the presence of leading Gedolim.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Reb Avigdor Rubinstein Z”L, a prominent Ger Chosid, he was 71 years old. The Levaya will take place Monday at 10:30 AM at the Ger Yeshiva Building 5115 Old New Utrecht Avenue, The Kevurah will take place in Eretz Yisroel. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes…  

The world has lost a true hero. R’ Yehuda Lindenblatt Z”L, a Holocaust survivor and longtime Flatbush Hatzolah volunteer, was niftar at the age of 88. A man of unyielding strength and boundless chesed, Yehuda dedicated his life to saving others—continuing to respond to Hatzolah calls when he was already well into his 80s. Known by his unit number F-71, or affectionately as “Seventy Von,” Yehuda was a pillar of the Flatbush Hatzolah community. Even as recently as a year ago, he was still answering emergency calls, often arriving on scene before members who drove, as he sprinted from his daily jog on the Brighton Beach boardwalk. A survivor of the Holocaust, Yehuda was just a young child when he and his two brothers escaped Nazi persecution in Budapest.

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to give newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie greater powers and flexibility to expedite the city’s response to a fentanyl crisis that has turned sidewalks into open-air dens of drug consumption and homelessness. The board voted 10-1 to eliminate competitive bidding requirements for some contracts and allow the administration to solicit private donations to quickly add 1,500 shelter beds and hire more public safety and behavioral health specialists. Lurie, a Levi Strauss heir and anti-poverty nonprofit founder who had never held elective office until he squashed Mayor London Breed’s reelection bid last year, celebrated the win. On the campaign trail, he had pledged to work with supervisors to tackle the critical issue.

Just last night, Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Wolosow Z”L a shliach who directed adult education at Chabad of Manalapan, stood on stage at a major concert, singing alongside Avraham Fried in a powerful moment of inspiration. He sang the words from Tehillim (42:3): Tzama Nafshi “When will I come and appear before Hashem?” – a chilling verse in hindsight. The crowd applauded, and Fried was visibly moved by his voice. Today, heartbreakingly, he is no longer with us. Rabbi Wolosow Z”L, a dedicated Chabad Shliach in New Jersey, passed away suddenly on Monday, 5 Shvat 5785, at the age of 43. He was known for his warmth, kindness, and commitment to teaching and inspiring others.

Ian Epstein was one of the 67 victims of the tragic mid-air collision over a Washington, D.C. airport was. He was a flight attendant and a member of Charlotte, North Carolina’s Jewish community. His Levaya is scheduled for Wednesday at Chabad of Charlotte. “Our Charlotte Jewish Community mourns the loss of Ian Douglas Epstein O.B.M. יצחק דוד בן זלמן מסטל ז״ל,” Chabad of Charlotte shared on Facebook. “Ian was a flight attendant on flight 5342, which tragically went down in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, January 29th. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, February 5th at 2:00pm at Chabad of Charlotte 6619 Sardis Road.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)