Two brothers in their 60s from the southern Israeli city of Dimona passed away of COVID on Wednesday within two hours of each other. Yitzchak Edri, z’l, 62, who was very well-known for his public service as a social activist and his past position as the chairman of the Dimona City Council, and his brother Nissim, z’l,  both contracted the coronavirus about three weeks ago. Neither were vaccinated, one of them due to a health problem, and both became seriously ill and were hospitalized, where unfortunately their condition continued to deteriorate. “It’s a terrible tragedy for Dimona,” said Dimona Mayor Benny Biton. “Yitzchak was a social activist and assisted many many residents of the city. The city is in mourning.” Yehi Zichram Baruch. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

YWN regrets to inform you of the petirah of Rebbetzin Miriam Dessler, the wife of chinuch trailblazer and longtime dean of Hebrew Academy of Cleveland Harav Nachum Velvel Dessler zt”l, and the mother-in-law of Harav Elya Brudny shlita. Rebbetzin Dessler was niftar Friday at 100 years old following a lifelong commitment and persistence toward assisting harbotzas torah and ingraining the morals and values of yiddishkeit in countless young men and women. Rebbetzin Dessler married Rav Nachum Velvel shortly after he began his avodas hakodesh at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, and for some 65 years, Rebbetzin Dessler was his trusted confidante and right-hand man.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of HaRav Mordechai Shmuel Moskowitz ZT’L. He was 67. Reb Mordechai suffered a massive heart attack a few weeks ago and sadly never recovered. He was Niftar early Tuesday morning. The Niftar was a longtime Rebbe in Lakewood Cheder, where he was Mechanech thousands of children over the decades. He was also the founder of a well-known program in Lakewood called :Chevras Masmidim Chol Hamoed” or otherwise known as the “Greater Adventures Chol Hamoed Learning Program”, where he drew thousands of children and Bochrim to learn for an hour of learning each day of Chol Hamoed.

A searing tragedy occurred in Jerusalem on Thursday when a yeshivah bochur from Toronto learning in Yeshivas Tiferes Tzvi (Brisker Kollel) was R”L found lifeless in his bed in his yeshivah dorm. Habochur Chaim Aharon Aryeh Lauer, z’l, 23, had apparently never woken up from his sleep overnight Wednesday and was discovered by his friends in his bed on Thursday afternoon. His friends immediately called emergency rescue services but unfortunately, there was nothing they could do. His parents were informed of his Petira and they immediately left to Eretz Yisrael for the levaya. The niftar was transferred for a CT scan to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem.

Friday marks the 23rd Yartzheit of Hagaon HaRav Simcha Sheps ZT”L, one of the Roshei Yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vodaath in Flatbush. HaRav Sheps zt”l was known for his unbelievable bren for learning, and mesiras nefesh to say shiur. The hundreds of talmidim who learned under him acknowledge that the excitement they have for Torah is an extension of Rav Simcha’s passion for learning. Rav Sheps’s legacy lives on through the decades of talmidim, and the seforim he authored (Moreshes Simchas HaTorah and Divrei Simcha). Yehi Zichro Boruch… VIDEOS AND PHOTOS BELOW VIA M.D. YARMISH / TSEMACH GLEN (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Reb Chaim Yaakov Fortgang Z”L, a well-respected philanthropist and Baal Chesed in Flatbush. The Niftar was one of the puillars of the Sasreigin Shul for decades. he delivered a Shiur for many years for balabatim at the Shul. In addition to being a Baal Chesed and Baal Tzedaka, the Niftar was a well-known bankruptcy attorney. The Levaya will take place Tuesday today (Tuesday) at New Montefiore Cemetery at 11:00AM, 1180 Wellwood Avenue, West Babylon.

A 17-year-old yeshiva student was R”L struck and killed by a vehicle on Highway 352 near the Otzem interchange on Sunday evening. According to medical personnel who arrived at the scene to assist, the young bochur was found lying on the ground in critical condition, not breathing and without a pulse. He was identified as Habochur Pinchos Weiss Z”L, from Givat Shaur in Yerushalayim, a Talmid in Nezer Zorach. According to an initial investigation, it appears that the bochur was crossing the busy street in order to make his way to his yeshiva in the nearby town when he was struck by a passing car. Eyewitnesses who saw the accident were shocked to see the boy’s hat fly off and land next to sefarim that the boy had been carrying.

YWN regrets to inform you of the Petira of Hagaon HaRav Avrohom Erlanger ZATZAL, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Kol Torah in Yerushalayim. He was 90-years-old. He contracted COVID over Sukkos, and was Niftar tonight. The Niftar was the Mechaber of the Seforim Birchas Avrohom on Shas as well as other Seforim. The Niftar was born in Switzerland to his father, Hagaon HaRav Shimshon Raphael Erlanger, the grandson of Hagaon HaRav Avraham Erlanger, who was one of the Gedolim of the Frum community in Switzerland. He was one of the first students of the Brisker Rov. Additional details shortly. Boruch Dayan HaEmmes… (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Bnei Brak is mourning the death of HaRav Avraham Yitzchak Kestenbaum, z’l, who passed away on Sunday after contracting the coronavirus at the age of 76. HaRav Kestenbaum grew up in Tel Aviv. As a bochur, he learned in Yeshivah Ponevezh and eventually settled in Bnei Brak, where he served as the Ba’al Koreh for the Chemdas Tzvi shul for 40 years. His family members told B’Chadrei Chareidim that he was a tremendous ba’al chessed who was always eager to be of assistance to others. He had been vaccinated with two doses but hadn’t managed to receive the booster shot before he became ill. Yehi Zichro Baruch. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

The Chabad community in Israel is reeling from the deaths of three members of its community from COVID complications within 24 hours. The chashuve avreich Reb Yosef Chaim Shlomo Meyerson, z’l, of Neve Yaakov was niftar on Shabbos at the age of 45. Reb Meyerson studied during the 1990s at the Chabad Yeshivah in the Marina Roscha shul in Moscow. He then made aliyah and studied at Yeshivas Mercaz Gutnick, where he was certified as a sofer stam and learned the practice of milah. He served as a mohel for the Bris Yosef Yitzchak organization for a number of years. He is survived by his wife, son, and mother. Over a decade ago, the niftar underwent a kidney transplant in the US. Sadly, he was niftar after he contracted the coronavirus and developed complications.