Brooklyn, NY – More Than Two Thousand people thronged to Borough Park as friends, neighbors and total strangers came to pay their respects to two Flatbush teens whose lives were tragically cut short and their heartbroken families.
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Eli Schonbrun, 16, and Dani King, 15, lived just one block away from each other with the Schonbrun family living on East 31st Street in Flatbush between Avenues K and L and the King family residing on the same street between Avenues L and M. Like most of the other boys who attended the high school at Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel, the two had gone home to Brooklyn last week after a massive Nor’easter left almost the entire city of Waterbury without electricity and were returning to yeshiva now that power had been restored. The two were pronounced dead at the scene after a horrific accident when the van they were traveling in went off the road on I-84 in Connecticut at 12:30 AM this morning. Connecticut State Police are conducting a full investigation into the accident and are unwilling to speculate on possible causes of the accident or whether any of the passengers inside the vehicle were wearing seatbelts.
“Dani was a quiet boy,” recalled Yossi Sharf a friend of the King family, who confessed to being devastated after the hearing the terrible news. “He was a quiet boy, a nice, sweet, gentle soul and everyone loved him. Our entire community is shaken to the core by this tragic loss.”
Another Flatbush neighbor told VIN News that Eli Schonbron was an exceptional boy.
“While most boys generally make a siyum at the end of a z’man, Eli was already making a siyum on Maseches Succah at the beginning of the z’man,” remembered the neighbor. “He was an unbelievable boy, a shtarke boy. A wonderful boy from a wonderful family. Both boys, Eli and Dani, were ‘bnei aliyah’, continuously growing in their yiddishkeit.”
According to CBS News, friends of the two boys said that they were outgoing, an popular.
Philip Rosenberg described Eli Schonbron to a CBS reporter as, “My closest friend, one of the nicest people I’ve ever known.”
A friend of Dani King’s, Yitzy Sharf, told CBS 2, “It is sad. He had so much potential. It is hard to process. Very, very hard to process.”
Among the speakers at Eli Schonbrun’s levaya was his father, Mutty, who spoke about emunah and how not only does everything come from Hashem, but everything that happens for the good. He recalled how as Eli left for yeshiva last night his parting words were “I am leaving.”
Other speakers were Eli’s older brother and his paternal grandfather, who likened Eli’s warm devotion towards his siblings to that of Rochel Imeinu, whose yahrtzeit is tomorrow. Eli’s grandfather also recalled how thirty years ago he also spoke at the levaya of his very own son who died in an accident; never in his lifetime did he expect to have to eulogize his own einikel.
Among the speakers at Dani King’s levaya where his father, Yaakov King, Dani’s 9th grade Rebbi, Rabbi Kalish, the menahel of the high school division of the Waterbury yeshiva, the family Rov, Rabbi Vigler and Dani’s older brother, Tzvi.
Kevura for Eli Schonbrun took place on Long Island to be followed by shiva at the family home, 1133 East 31st Street in Flatbush.
Kevura for Dani King took place in Washington Cemetery in Deans, New Jersey, followed by shiva at the family home, 1232 East 31st Street.
The nine other passengers who were traveling in the 1998 Ford Club Wagon are confirmed to be Israel Braun, 20, Pinchus Feldman, 16, Abraham Jungreis, 16, Avraham Schmulevitz, 21, Moshe Sperling, 18, Elimelech Sperling, 21 and Jay Tepler, 16, Mayer Kulefsky, age 17, all Flatbush residents and Aryeh Litzman, 17, of Atlanta.
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz issued the following statement this afternoon prior to the funerals for the two teens:
“It is with profound sadness that we learned of the passing today of two yeshiva bochurim from Flatbush after the van in which they were riding rolled down an embankment on Interstate 84 in Connecticut. In addition to the deaths of Dani King and Eli Schonbrun, both of East 31st Street and previously students at Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel of Flatbush, the accident left eight other students and the bus driver—all from Brooklyn—injured as they traveled to Yeshiva Ateres Shmuel in Waterbury following a weekend in Brooklyn. The prayers and thoughts of all Brooklynites and New Yorkers are with the families of Dani and Eli as they prepare for services back home in Borough Park, and we hope for a speedy recovery for those that were hurt in this terrible tragedy.”
Photos, Video credit Shimon Gifter
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This has left the community in sadness! please lets all work and better ourselves so that the geulah can already come.
We should all focus on practical and common sense actions that would reduce the liklihood of these tragedies, including the logistics of how we schedule various functions in the heimeshe community which will result in people driving at late hours and/or at events where alcohol is served. Its going to take more than the usual pleas for greater attention to tzinius, better midos, adding a daf to the daily learning etc. Instead, perhaps allow time for a later start of learning on Sundays for bochurim who come from out of town, don’t schedule simchas for late at night when shabbos/yom tov end late etc.
Absolutely heartbreaking! I feel so sad for the community & for every Jewish soul that is in mourning at this time. My thoughts, heart & prayers are with you all…
G-d bless,
Sherry
I say with my hart burch dyen emes
There is no nechama when parents so tragically lose their children. The only thing that may numb the pain a little is they know that they are not alone and klall Yisroel is standing with them in their moment of pain. We must give each others strength and their families in betachon Hashem that there is some purpose to the Ribono Shel Oloms conduct in the world. It is painful and we have no answers and I am a grown mature man crying right now but I love My G-D and have faith there must be a reason for this and other events as difficult bas it is to understand.
May the Almighty One, blessed is he, comfort you amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem!
This may sound a bit interesting to say. But being that I know the family (mother’s side; Lerman) all I can say is that I’m happy Rabbi Lerman the grandfather is not here to witness this. He was a very warm man that was nifter very young and took the accident of his daughter/a mother of 8 , a few years ago terribly hard; that killed him literally. This is too much to bare for a family that has gone through so much. May hashem give the rest of the family kochos to bare this terrible tragedy.
Very sad and heartbreaking.
המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים.
תנחמו מן השמים
נסתרים דרכי השם
יִתְגַּדַּל וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא. בְּעָלְמָא דִּי בְרָא, כִרְעוּתֵהּ. וְיַמְלִיךְ מַלְכוּתֵהּ, וְיַצְמַח פֻּרְקָנֵה, וִיקָרֵב מְשִׁיחֵהּבְּחַיֵּיכוֹן וּבְיוֹמֵיכוֹן וּבְחַיֵּי דְכָל-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵןיְהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ, לְעָלַם לְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח וְיִתְפָּאַר וְיִתְרוֹמַם וְיִתְנַשֵּׂא וְיִתְהַדָּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְהַלָּל, שְׁמֵהּ דְּקֻדְשָׁא בְרִיךְ הוּא. לְעֵלָּא מִן-כָּל-בִּרְכָתָא, שִׁירָתָא, תִּשְׁבְּחָתָא וְנֶחָמָתָא דַאֲמִירָן בְּעָלְמָא, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵןיְהֵא שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא מִן שְׁמַיָּא, חַיִּים וְשָׂבָע וִישׁוּעָה וְנֶחָמָה וְשֵׁיזָבָא וּרְפוּאָה וּגְאֻלָּה וּסְלִיחָה וְכַפָּרָה וְרֶוַח וְהַצָּלָה, לָנוּ וּלְכָל-עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן. עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא בְּרַחֲמָיו יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ, וְעַל כָּל-עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן.
-Anonymous
These 15 person vans are well known to be vulnerable to rolling over. They have too high a center of gravity and too narrow so they handle badly when cornering at speed.
The practical lesson to be learned is that these vans should only be used in urban environments when speed will not exceed 35 mph and not driven at speed on interstates. It is not worth the risk taking these vehicles on to the interstate.
This story is a horrible tragedy. It should have never happened!
But can we learn from it? To be certain, an accident can occur with any driver at the wheel. However, without passing any judgment whatsoever on the particular driver of this vehicle, perhaps now is the time to declare once-and-for-all that 22-year-olds (i.e. young drivers) are not the best candidates for acting as a chauffeur for other people. That all parents / mosdos / yeshivas / camps should listen-up and be more responsible about whom they entrust their charges to? Too many of such stories keep happening – of young people losing their lives in senseless car accidents.
Fact is that this age bracket has the highest percentage of death r’l among all drivers. That is why their car insurance premiums are so high.
While young drivers must learn to drive in order to gain experience, it seems helplessly foolish and irresponsible to allow a van full of other children to be their passengers.
In case anyone’s still reading . . .
My son a”h was killed in a van rollover in 2007. Since then I’ve thought about the safety issue extensively. Yes, it was Hashem’s will and would have happened no matter what. But what can we learn from it.
As mentioned by others, driving during the day, using only older more experienced drivers, and outlawing these 15 passenger vans which are notorious for rolling and causing fatalities would probably help.
But, people are not likely to change any of the above, because it isn’t always easy to acquire another vehicle, to avoid nighttime driving, or to find an older driver.
But, it is very easy to get into the habit of wearing seat belts. This small thing we could all do. Drivers could insist on it. I feel so much pain each time it happens again. Didn’t we learn our lesson the last time? (I’m not saying they weren’t wearing seat belts. I don’t know. I’m not finding fault or placing blame. It would have happened no matter what.)
Still, what about our hishtadlus. Can anyone think of a way to really get people to change, so that groups of bochurim, and camps, and schools, will all make sure everyone is belted!