R’ Yanky Meyer, a man who was well known and highly respected by the Jewish community, members of law enforcement and various city agencies, passed away on Thursday night, 13 Elul, 5782 at Maimonides Hospital.
Meyer had been battling an illness in recent weeks and was 59 years old.
It would take endless pages to describe all that Meyer did in his lifetime. While he is most widely known as the founder of Misaskim, Meyer was a member of Hatzolah and a chaplain for the NYPD and the Port Authority and whenever there was a mass gathering, a tragedy or an autopsy that needed to be prevented, Meyer was there, rolling up his sleeves and doing what needed to be done, no matter how long it took or how difficult the job was.
Unassuming yet extremely well connected, soft spoken yet determined, Meyer was a man who got things done, his days and nights blurring together because how could you ask him to sleep when someone needed his help?
Born and bred in Boro Park, Meyer was a talmid of various well-known yeshivas including Karlin-Stolin, the Mir and Beis Medrash Govoha. He was a Daf Yomi yid whose analytical mind was well-suited to Misaskim’s mission and while it may be known as the organization with the chairs and sifrei Torah for shiva homes, Meyer’s analytical eye and caring heart took Misaskim to the next level, ensuring that aveilim had their every need met in practically any circumstances.
Never content with the status quo, Meyer launched Project Yedid to gladden the hearts of widows and orphaned children, making sure that they had a reason to smile on every yom tov. From lavish home-delivered Purim seudahs to Shavuos flowers and cheesecakes and chol hamoed trips, Project Yedid was a comforting presence that reminded the bereaved that while they may have suffered a loss, they were never alone. Meyer made sure that Chanukah was particularly memorable for Project Yedid’s children, sending them high quality toys, Chanukah gelt and “gebentshe dollars,” an envelope of singles in individual plastic sleeves, each one bearing the blessing of a prominent rabbi.
It would be impossible to count the number of people who kept Meyer’s number on their speed dial, simply because he was involved in so many different things. He was often tapped to coordinate security for large events and when tragic accidents took place, Meyer was on hand to volunteer his services, which often included the heartbreaking task of making death notifications.
Meyer’s contact list included many, many members of the NYPD as well as the numerous medical examiners he would call to prevent autopsies and coordinate timely burials and he was well known for his dogged efforts to ensure that those being interred in Israel were flown there as quickly as possible.
Meyer wasn’t shy about tackling big issues and when New York City attempted a switch to what he felt was a flawed system for issuing death certificates in 2018, he assembled an interfaith coalition to protest the move, explaining that it would cause unacceptable burial delays.
Meyer’s efforts resulted in a meeting with the New York City Department of Health to address the concerns of the Jewish and Muslim communities, and he was quick to thank the city for being receptive to their concerns.
The Levaya is scheduled for 10:30 AM on Friday morning, at 1123 57 Street between 11th and 12th Avenues. The Kevura will follow in Woodbridge, NJ.
Live: Levaya of R’ Yanky Meyer
Many years ago I called him to help arrange a levaya of any old Jewish woman who lived in Crown Heights without any Jewish family. He paid for it and helped make the arrangements together with Rabbi Lieder ע״ה, another צדיק.
It’s difficult to grasp how someone who did so much for כלל ישראל could be taken so early?! עד מתי??!! Hashem enough of this Golus!!! Take your children home and those that lie in the dust will rejoice and sing!!!
AD MOSAI!?!
Yanky Meyer of Misaskim was the one responsible to make sure my father’s levaya was the 1st day of chol hamoed after a 3 day yom tov, in 5780 during the covid pandemic. My father, R Yitzchak Kosofsky OBM was niftar in LA Erev Pesach. My father landed in jfk less than one hour before the gates at the cemetery closed on Sunday Chol Hamoed. Yanky Meyer met the plane on the tarmac and took care of the paperwork. He arranged a police escort and they made it to the cemetery just in time before the gates closed. My father… Read more »
What a loss for Klal Yisroel.
I am not from NY and not famiiiar with this special Jew.
Clearly, a true prince of Chessed and Leadership
What a loss. Moshiach Now.
Yanky z”l was a true friend to all Yidden. He had a special place in his great heart for Chabad & the Shluchim. In Simcha & in tragedy, when called upon by the Merkos, he was there wherever in the world he was needed. A highlight of his year was attending, as our guest, the banquet of the Kinus Hashluchim, in recognition for all he did for the shluchim all year round & for his help in the technical aspects of each years Banquet. There are very few askanim who have the breadth of vision & selfless dedication to chessed… Read more »
Few get a glimpse behind the curtains when disaster strikes.. there are princes amongst us (few and far between) that quietly do their thing
Yanky A”H was larger than life and with all the stories we can tell there ia 1000 more behind that to tell A true loss to us all!!!
We are greatful for the tremendous work he did. It’s difficult to comprehend why Hashem takes away such special people so young! We need Moshiach bkarov!
A huge loss for all of Am Yisroel and for the whole world. May Hashem grant his family strength and comfort and may he bang down the gates of golus now. Ad mosai? Ad mosai? Ad mosai?