By COLlive reporter
Rabbi Moshe Herson, Dean of the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, NJ has arranged to send a representative to Ukraine to attend the funeral of a student who was tragically killed by a sanitation truck on Sunday.
Rabbi Chaim Schapiro, head of the rabbinical ordination program where 25-year-old Gedalya Greenzayd learned, is flying to participate in the burial of his student in the ancient city of Vinnitsa.
A fellow student who learned with Greenzayd will be flying to the funeral as well.
The entire funeral cost and the flight tickets are being covered Rabbi Avraham Lieder of Ahavas Chesed, who raised funds from the Crown Heights community.
Greenzayd left a deep impact on many students with his care and devotion to learning.
“For many students he was a pillar of support,” says Rabbi Boruch Hecht, admissions director at Tiferes Bachurim, the division for Yeshiva beginners, where Greenzayd was enrolled.
“He would seek out the new students and others who were having a hard time transitioning into yeshivah life and set up study sessions, helping them acclimate,” Rabbi Hecht told Chabad.org.
In September, Greenzayd began studying for his rabbinic ordination under the tutelage of Rabbi Schapiro. He was “refined, humble, and had a great devotion to Torah study,” says Rabbi Schapiro. “He was the first one to show up and never wasted a moment of learning.”
One of the few times Greenzayd would leave the study hall was on Fridays, when he would visit elderly Russian-speaking Jewish people in assisted-living homes, Chabad.org reported.
Fellow student Benjy Licht says Grinzayd developed a special rapport with the seniors. “From the way the people talked about him, you could tell that they loved his visits—he would make them lebedik [lively].”
On Monday, over 2,000 people attended the funeral procession that passed by Lubavitch Headquarters 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights. An only child, Greenzayd will be buried in Ukraine on Thursday.
Rabbi Shapiro will be comforting the parents, Avraham and Malka Greenzayd and conveying the deep sorrow that is shared by the faculty and students of the Yeshiva in Morristown and those who knew him.
May the Zchus of this special neshama protect all the yidden of the Ukraine who are in particular danger in these turbulent times !
Rabbi Schapiro is one of a kind!
as my small way of showing my feelings, I will donate to Ahavas Chesed to help defray the costs of this tragedy.
I am reading every comment filled with love and pain and I am weeping. Pain for the loss – the loss is also ours but most definitely to the parents the loss is incomprehensible!!! the ability to connect to this wonderful neshama via watching his shiurim online makes us realize what we lost. It is amazing to see the chesed displayed by all the parties mentioned above. I am sure there are many more that contributed also. Thanks to all of you! To #7 I too am wondering who will be the one to name their son after this special… Read more »
Does anyone have an email address for the Geeenzayd Family? I guess the least we can do is to send Gedalya’s parents our Nichum Avelim wishes. Veheekeetzu Verannenu Shochnai Ofor Vehu Besochom
Go Morristown
go schpiros
#7. not so simple or so fast. my simple understanding is that we dont name after people who die before 40. check it out with a rov.
Is there a way that the general public can send nichum aveilim to the family?
Chaim you have a hard mission ahead of you do your best to bring some comfort to parents who just lost their only child their future
What a wonderful chessed for the “mais” and for his parents and the whole yeshiva. I am still in tears. Thank you to everyone who had a share in making this possible!
amen!!!!
that was very very nice and very well said !! i needed that chizuk !
thanks
moshiach nooooooow !!!
thanks to rabbi lieder above all
A man who is the epitome of chessed in crown heights!!! Thank you!!
When we watched the video my children and I were so sad, such a wonderful face, his eyes had so much love, you could really see joy in his eyes.
Wonderful to see all the people behind the car, wonderful to know how everything was paid for. Looked a great great young man.
I’m so very very sorry.
May HAshem be with his parents.
Who will have the zechus to carry Gedalia’s holy namesake??
Who will be the first? That will be one special child!!
brings tremendous comfort to the students in Morristown Yeshiva too!
That was beautiful and made me tear up thank you for that…!
Moshiach NOW
We send our condolences to the famiy. Stay strong! I recently read a letter from the Rebbe that says that when we feel the void/missing of our loved ones we shoud do something in their memory since it causes a great pleasure and ascend to the neshama ,when we are sad/down it causes anguish to the neshama to see his loved ones and those who he’s connected to sad so please stay strong for Gedalya! the neshama stays with the family during shiva now we say hashem bring moshiach unite us with Gedalya and our loved ones and please give… Read more »
They should go with the Rebbe’s coyack…their mission is an important one…
rabbi chaim shapiro the best rabbi ever!!!!
kol hakavod
Thanks Rabbi Herson