A well-known member of the Lower East Side community, along with his wife and daughter’s fiance, were killed in a traffic accident upstate yesterday.
Morris Faitelewicz, 58, Beth Faitelewicz, 54, and Yehuda Bayme, 31 were all traveling in an SUV in Sullivan County when it flipped over at aroud 4:30 p.m. Faitelewicz’s children, Yaakov, Avi, and Shani, were injured in the crash and hospitalized. All three are expected to recover.
Yaakov, the oldest son, broke three fingers, while Shani and Avi were listed in critical condition. Bayme and Shani Faitelewicz were engaged June 28.
Morris Faitelewicz was a former auxiliary police officer, a member of the Hatzolah volunteer ambulance organization, a 9/11 first responder and a member of Community Board 3. He lived in the Grand Street Cooperatives.
In the Daily News, Assemblyman Sheldon Silver said, “I knew him probably 40 years… He moved in around the corner. We went to the same synagogue. He spent most of his life in the community. He was dedicated to making sure that life in the community was as good as can be. That was it.”
Stu Loeser, a former member of the Grand Street community, added, “Beth and Morris didn’t just lend a hand to help downtown recover from 9/11, they put everything they had into helping lower Manhattan and the city come back… Beth was tireless as a nurse at Beth Israel.”
The crash happened near exit 112 along Route 17 near the town of Rock Hill. Police have not released the accident details as of yet but said an investigation is ongoing.
UPDATE 8:50 a.m. Information regarding the funeral for Yehuda Bayme (thanks to Jacob Goldman for these details):
The funeral will be held at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale today, Tuesday, September 8 at 1:00 PM. Burial will follow at Cedar Park Beth El Cemetery, 735 Forest Avenue, Paramus, NJ. Shiva will be observed at the Bayme home, 3720 Independence Ave #1E, Riverdale, NY from Tuesday, September 8 through Sunday mid-afternoon, September 13 (Erev Rosh Hashana).
Minyan Times:
Shacharit: 7:30 AM (Wed-Fri & Sun)
Mincha/Maariv: 7:00 PM (Tues-Thurs)
UPDATE 12:20 p.m. The funerals of Morris and Beth Faitelewicz will be held tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Bialystoker Synagogue 7-11 Willett St. Shiva information will be provided during the service.
UPDATE 9/9 Channel 7 reports:
Police said six people were in the car when the driver, 58-year-old Morris Faitelewicz, attempted to move into the passing lane, but there was already a car next to his. Faitelewicz turned back but overcorrected, causing the car to run off the road and roll over several times before coming to rest.
