By COLlive reporter
The Jewish community of Vinnytsia, dealing with the political turnmoil like the rest of Ukraine, has faced another difficult task: Bidding farewell to a native that was its pride and joy.
Many were in tears as Gedalya Greenzayd, killed in a car accident while visiting New York, was laid to rest in the ancient city’s Jewish cemetery on Thursday morning amid snow and cold weather.
The 25-year-old was an only child of Avraham and Malka Greenzayd. They followed his lead in connecting with their Jewish roots after the fall of the Soviet Union. Avraham is currently the gabbai of the local shul.
The body was flown to Ukraine following a funeral in Crown Heights that was attended by over 2,000 people in tribute to the rabbinical student who shared his knowledge with others.
His coffin was brought to the Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, where anti government riots are crippling the city. Activist Hillel Cohen, who heads the Chevra Kaddish in Kiev and Hatzalah service in Ukraine, oversaw the proceedings.
On the same flight was Rabbi Chaim Schapiro, head of the smicha program in Morristown, NJ, where Greenzayd learned and inspired others. A classmate, Schneur Kirsch, flew as well and said Tehillim throughout the flight.
The procession drove past the Ohr Avner Education Village in Zhitomir, where Greenzayd learned in his youth. Its director Rabbi Eliezer Rabinovitch mentioned Gedalya’s adherence to halacha and love for the Torah.
In Vinnytsia, many gathered at the synagogue located in the center of town. In his eulogy, the city’s Rabbi Shaul Horowitz highlighted the self sacrifice of Greenzayd, the positive influence he had on his family, fellow students and the community.
The mourning parents are being assisted by Rabbi Horowitz and fellow Shluchim in Vinnytsia, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Lichtenstein and Rabbi Shlomo Aaron Rabinovitch.
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Baruch daian haemet
he was an only child..
‘moshiach now’ ….’how sad’…. lets stop suonding like a bunch of dounuts and get our selfs moving to DO SOMETHING, LEARN SOMETHING, THINK SOMETHING, for moshiach to come lets get real like gidalya was and still is, he was and is a pinimie, i.e. someone that has feelings but dosent exprees to the world ‘im crying now’…. or other aqerd thing things like that but rather someone how in his quit adul emesse way did thing and LIVED for / with moshiach. all in all its the action that counts and lets all make that extra effort in thoght speech… Read more »
Ad Mosai Hashem
WHYYYYY??????
MOSHIACH NOW!!!!!1
moshiach should come right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Soooooo sad
u taught this amazing nshama. terrible. no words. shtark zach.
I am looking and crying , how could this happened in our schuna that we all know כאן ציוה השם את הברכה , this zadik came to learn more Torah and was in the middle of doing smicha, it’s so sad to see his parents what they are going threw we all has to scream and do more kindness and goodness to bring moshiach now ad mossai we want moshiach now.
If he’s an ONLY child, how’d he have another brother?
& the red bags, are those his belongings?
That photo of a hole dug in the ground…chilling. I cant get over this tragedy, i dont understand it
Boruch Dan HaEmes!!!:(
Rebonah Shel Olam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To #17 there is something you can say. Call someone that can use some uplifting and uplift them. Call someone with whom you are out of touch with or are having a fight with ( we all have those) and tell them you care about them!
That is what we can SAY
chof zayin adar this week
worse than i thought
I had tears in my eyes, when I was looking at these pictures, it is so sad
Boruch Dayan HaEmes, what more can we say?
when is moshiach coming?
No more pain, WE WANT MOSHIAH NOW.
May H-shem comfort his parents and those who mourn in Zion.
that one can somehow send nichum aveilim to the parents
So Paine full
poor family. An only child
We should only hear good news and all be reunited with our loved ones now!
How sad. What a tragic awful thing.
Lovely young man gone.
I didntknow he’s an only child, wow its so sad the parents should have an nechomo and we should be zoche to moshiach bkoroiv mamash
Moshiach is the only answer.
Is it true that he had a brother who also passed away from a car accident?
Heartbreaking.
VERY SAD!
My heart is broken looking at these.