Two Young Jerusalem Fathers Pass Away In Their Sleep

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Two young married Torah scholars in Jerusalem died in their sleep over the weekend, stunning their communities and prompting an outpouring of grief in two ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods.

The first, Yaakov Uriel Elkaiss, 41, was found unresponsive in his home in the Ramot neighborhood after going to sleep Friday night. Emergency responders attempted resuscitation but pronounced him dead at the scene, according to community members.

Elkaiss, a lifelong resident of Ramot, was known as a devoted scholar and family man. He is survived by his wife and seven children. News of his death spread quickly through the neighborhood during Shabbat Shirah, leaving residents in shock.

Less than a day later, a second sudden death was reported in Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim neighborhood. Yechiel Yaakov Kraus, 39, a member of the Toldot Avraham Yitzchak Hasidic community, also died in his sleep, according to acquaintances.

Kraus’s funeral was delayed as his father, Ephraim Fishel Kraus, was traveling abroad and expected to return to Israel for the burial. His death came just weeks before the planned bar mitzvah of his eldest son, which Kraus had spoken about during the third Shabbat meal.

Born and raised in Jerusalem, Kraus studied in Toldot Avraham Yitzchak institutions and later lived on Hevrat Shas Street in Mea Shearim. Friends described him as warm and soft-spoken, known for a constant smile. He was a regular participant in nightly Torah study sessions at a Satmar study hall and occasionally taught as a substitute instructor in a Satmar elementary school.

Acquaintances said Kraus maintained a daily, uninterrupted Torah study schedule for about 15 years.

He is survived by his wife, his eldest son and a younger son born about two years ago.