Henya Federman, the beloved and devoted Shlucha in the Virgin Islands, passed away on Wednesday, 17 Shvat, 5783.
She was 40 years old.
Henya (nee Shmotkin) served as a devoted Shlucha alongside her husband, Rabbi Asher Federman, in the Virgin Islands. Together, with warmth, joy, and love for all they met, the couple ran a successful Chabad Center which brought the light of Judaism to the locals and the thousands of visitors who visit the tourist destination each year.
In November, Henya was injured in a terrible accident in which her youngest child, baby Shterna, tragically passed away.
Henya remained on life support, with thousands of mitzvos being done and tefillos being said in her merit.
Sadly, she passed away today in an acute care center in Lakewood, NJ.
She is survived by her husband, Asher Federman, and children Chaya Mushka, Menachem Mendel, Yitzchak Leib, Levi, Shneur Zalman, Chanah, Feigel, Zelda Rochel, Yehudah, Meir Shlomo, Nechama Reizel, and Sheina.
She is also survived by her parents Rabbi Yisroel and Bracha Devorah Shmotkin, Milwaukee, WI head Shluchim of Wisconsin, and siblings: Zalman Shmotkin – Stamford, CT, Shmaya Shmotkin – Detroit, MI, Mendel Shmotkin – Glendale, WI, Elkanah Shmotkin – Brooklyn, NY, Feigel Tenenbaum – Gurnee, IL, Chanie Klein – Eilat, Israel, Levi Shmotkin – New York, NY, Yehuda Shmotkin – Hamilton Heights, NYC, Shmuel Shmotkin – Miami, FL, and Meir Shmotkin – Alameda, CA.
The Levaya will take place tomorrow, Thursday, leaving from Shomrei Hadas at 1:30 pm, passing by 770 at 2:30 pm. 3:45 pm at Montefiore Cemetery.
Shiva of Henya’s husband, children, parents and siblings together at
227-98 120th Avenue, Cambria Heights through Sunday 1:00 PM.
Continuation TBA.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
VIDEO: Henya Federman once shared a stirring story of the impact a single Menorah they gave to a Jewish family on a cruise trip.
I am so sorry for this terrible loss!
Our hearts are with the family.
Hashem, PLEASE send Moshiach NOW!!!
amen
May her neshama have an aliah
Moshiach Now!!!
Ad Mosei!!!!
May her family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem and may her Neshama rise among the Heavens and go from strength to strength. Moshiach Now! Please!
Hashem we had such high hopes for a miracle.
I’m devastated.
Hashem how can we understand this!!!
Please end this Galus now please please we can’t bear this anymore!!!
How are we going to go on like this!!!!!?!???
So extremely painful. Wishing the family much comfort and healing.
We davened with so much hope. This is beyond devastating. Sitting here crying. Sending much love to the precious Federman family.
Please Hashem please Hashem!!!
Don’t do this!!!!
Bring Moshiach Now!!!
I’ve known Henya for many years, way before she was an official shlucha. Henya exuded kindness and ahavas Yisroel. May her neshama have an Aliya and may she be a gutte better for her beautiful family.
Hashem please!!!!!
A mother of little ones, A Shlucha, A wife , a Daughter, a sister……
עד מתי עד מתי עד מתי!!!!
I met the federmans in Detroit . Wonderful people. I am so heartbroken over this news
Crying with her beloved family and each and every one of her precious yesomim.
May Hashem have rachmonus.
Hashem known what good and or evil. We may be heartbroken at a loss. But for Hashem it’s a destiny a trip a cause that needed to be completed. We mortals don’t understand. Perhaps we aren’t meant it unneeded to know or understand. But we embrace and be the will of Hashem unconditionally, despite our conscience or unconscious feelings or wants.
After all said. It is שכינתא בגלותא
Hashem have pity on yourself. Therefore have pity on your chosen and stop this idiocricy with this Golus. just bring the Geulah already. What don’t you get !!
The Torah approach is not mathematical. In Gashmius black is black and white is white. When you give then you lose and when you take then you gain. But that’s not how Ruchnius works. Torah tells us: 1) Everything comes from Hashem 2) Hashem is the ultimate good 3) Not to mourn is to be cruel 4) To feel pain and to feel that the darkness must come to end, is important and necessary Now is not a time for what you write. It may never be the time for it. It must at the very least have context. In… Read more »
It’s not right HaShem to take a mother of small children … a young wife … 😢 Henya was so special and calm .. I spent one Shabbos with the Federmans and Henya had such an impression on me … The way she served her meal , made with extra love and care .. tuna filled borekas… soup .. chicken .. warm conversation.. sensitivity and kindness … everything the soul of a young backpacker or a businessman or a cruise vacationer could fill up on and rejuvenate and learn sweet lessons from You were a Dugma Chaya and will be… Read more »
Dear Friends, We sit here thinking, How,Why? This doesn’t make sense. We need to take real action. Not just write BDE or Ad Mosai and move on. Think of one way to improve and make the world a little better. We all do chessed. We are all nice, we all love and fear hashem. Now we need to go “Lifnim Meshuras Hadin. Every one knows what they need to do. The neighbor that asked you something that you think is hard, try to understand and help. The person that asked you for some information, the annoying one that you need… Read more »
Thus is devastating news. We hoped and prayed and pleaded for a miracle. Broken hearts everywhere….may her family get all the support and help they need IYH’ during this tragic time.
Baruch Dayan Hoemes
Ad Mosai! 😭😭😭
Such a tragedy!
Moshiach
BDE
From The extended Ort and Eisenbach Family of Milwaukee
Feeling so sick over this.
I dont even know what to say…
Henya was pure Ahavas Yisroel. Even if you only met her once, you felt like she was your best friend. Selfless and kind, with endless patience. What a painful loss for her family and all of us who had the privilege of knowing her.
I only met her once, on a random shabbos in Detroit, and she took the time to send me the sweetest, kindest most uplifting message
We all need to push ourselves…what more can we do to tip the scales in favor of Klal Yisrael?
משתתף בצער המשפחה האהובה. מי ידע ולא ידעו עוד צער לעולם.
אמן ואמן כן יהי רצון
שלא נדע עוד צער אצל כל עם ישראל.
חבלי משיח הם צירים יותר מידי קשים.
עד מתי?!!
משיח עכשיו
this pain knows no bounds
Boruch dayan haemes
So extremely sad,
Horibble news
Ad masay
Mashiach right now!!!
NO WORDS! May her dear children find comfort!
So sorry for your loss so sad and young may she rest in Ganeden!!!🥲
Moshiach now!
we need to see our Rebbe take us out of golus
Henya was a Gem!
Rebbe!!!! Pls storm Heavens and bring Moshiach
Heartbroken to hear. May Hashem give strength to her beautiful family. May He put an end already to all tears and suffering!
Henya is literally glowing in all the photos, as she did in real life. So much chein. I hope that she will be remembered thusly, and not just for her tragic demise. Look at these photos, and look again.
Please send us Moshiach NOW!
I was davening for Henya and was hopeful for her recovery … This is so sad and beyond devastating! May Hashem give the family nechama and the strength to go on… As others have so wisely written that saying ad mosai and how can Hashem do this is not going to bring any good to this situation. We need to ask “What Now?” How can we bring Moshiach closer? What can we improve on and be mechazek ourselves with? Ahavas Yisroel and Ahavas Habriyos and chessed and connecting more with Hashem in Tefila. Hashem says עמך אנכי בצרה Let is… Read more »
MoshiachNOW. ברוך דיין אמת
This is tragic. All these Yesoimim need their Mom!
So so painful. I was not privileged to know her but her warmth and sincerity shines out of those pictures. May Hashem have rachmonus on her young children and comfort them from this unbelievable loss- first their baby sister and now their mother. May they be reunited with the coming of moshiach now.
nebach…we should continue to daven for her family and do mitzvos for her aliyas neshama…oy very zmir moshiach now
Baruch Dayan Haemet. May her family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. May her neshama make aliyah.
Bde where will the family be sitting shiva
May the family, all those who knew her, and all of klal Yisroel be comforted for this immense loss. May her neshama reach the highest heights.
She was a really special, and it showed on her face and on her actions. I wasn’t privileged to meet her, but I wish that I did. May her family, her friends, and all Am Yisrael be comforted by this loss. Moshiach Now!!
Please Hashem send Moshiach now, enough of the pain
There are no words that can take away the pain and so many folks took on new Mitvots and prayed so hard and some might feel as though whats the point because it did not work but the point is that we are living in this really dark world and we could really use some light and the light that was kindled during this tragic time must not ever go out in fact it needs to grow. One person made a difference and her work on earth for now is done so l know I am going to try to… Read more »
i cant.
im sitting here sobbing
how can it be?!?!?
we davened so hard, for so long, how can the miricale not come?!
how?????
THIS IS WHY WE NEED MOSHIACH
HASHEMMMMMMMMMM
In response to comments about not saying ad mossai see the sicha after mrs lapine was killed where the rebbe screams ad mossai and says it is not known what more there is to be done to bring Moshiach!
Of course this tragedy screams “Ad Mosai???!”
Ad Mosai is determined by Hashem
That is why we need to take action and not just lip service.
If this tragedy doesn’t shake us to our core to find areas to improve on that would truly be beyond tragic
חבלי משיח no doubt…
והקיצו ורננו…
This tragedy is beyond Ad Mosai! This tragedy is even beyond Moshiach Now! Once and for all: The Rebbe clearly stated “our Shlichus is complete”. The buttons have been polished to the extent that they are rubbed out completely. We were able to say these TWO WORDS then and we MUST say these TWO WORDS NOW! YECHI HAMELECH! יחי המלך Life to the KING! We are NOT talking cukoo Meshichists here. We are talking REBBE! This is a direct instruction for us and it’s urgent! In order to give Melech HaMoshiach LIFE, as in the days of crowning Dovid HaMelech… Read more »
I had the Zechus to teach Henya when she was in elementary school in Milwaukee. She was a ball of energy and enthusiasm for everything. You could already see the future Shlucha in her. She was a powerhouse of positivity to the rest of her class. (She also was the fastest “spit,” player I ever saw.) May Henya be a Melitza Yashra for her Mishpacha and may they find the strength to continue their Heliga Avodas Hashem!
Hashem Why? We were all counting on a miracle.
Hashem should bless the Federman family with comforte among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem and may her Neshama rise among the Heavens and go from strength to strength. Moshiach Now! BDE!!!