Borough Park, NY – Hundreds Mourn Israeli Teen That Captivated Online Fans With His Musical Talent

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    in this file photo Bein Ish U’Bein Achiv volunteer Brooklyn resident Mordechai Aron Tirnauer with Dovid Hill. Dovid passed away this past Friday after a long battle with cancerBorough Park, NY – Hundreds of people thronged to the Skver Beis Medrash today in Borough Park to attend the levaya of the fourteen year old Israeli boy whose beautiful middos and golden voice captured the hearts of countless listeners including superstars Avraham Fried and Lipa Schmeltzer.

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    Dovid Hill passed away this past Friday afternoon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in Manhattan after a five year battle with cancer.

    Dovid and his parents had come from Jerusalem several times over the past few years and, most recently, the entire Hill family was relocated to New York to help facilitate treatments with the help of Chai Lifeline, who assisted in sponsoring the cost of airfare.

    Dovid’s face and his melodious voice became familiar to many this past winter after YouTube clips captured him singing several songs at the Bein Ish U’Bein Achiv Melava Malka an Org. to countless seriously ill patients and their families this past January, one of which was an original composition.

    In below video Dovid signs.

    “He was extremely musical and part of a very talented family,” Shlomo Gombo of Bein Ish U’Bein Achiv, told VIN News.

    “Avraham Fried came to sing with Dovid not that long ago and hearing Dovid sing Aleh Katan, with lyrics about how life can sometimes be difficult, Avremel was mamash tearing up. Knowing that Dovid’s medical situation was grave, he told us to take Dovid to a studio and in order to capture his beautiful voice while we still had the opportunity. Baruch Hashem we were able to do that.”

    Singer Lipa Schmeltzer recalled that while the release of his previous album Meimke D’Lipa took place at a gala concert, the release of his newest album, Leap of Faith was far more poignant.

    “I premiered this latest album with none other than Dovid Hill,” said Schmeltzer. “I didn’t tell anyone, but I went to see Dovid and he got the very first copy of my CD in his hand and we sang all the songs. I remember another time I sang for Dovid and he was unconscious but he had tears coming out of his eyes. I hope he will be a meilitz yosher for all of klal yisroel.”

    Another singer who spent time with Dovid recalled him as “the sweetest kid in the world. He was a talented composer with a gorgeous voice.”

    Dovid’s Bar Mitzvah took place last year at Cornell Medical Center where Dovid, who was in a coma, had been transferred due to respiratory difficulties.

    Chai Lifeline coordinated a gala Bar Mitzvah celebration for Dovid several weeks later, attended by doctors, nurses, Lipa Schmeltzer, Michoel Schnitzler, family members and countless volunteers who literally devoted their lives to Dovid, who spent the last two summers of his life at Camp Simcha.

    Dovid with Lipa premiering Lipa's new CD, Leap of Faith
    “We put tefillin on him on the day of his Bar Mitzvah,” reminisced Bein Ish U’Bein Achiv volunteer Mordechai Aron Tirnauer, “but when Dovid came out of the coma he was shaking because he had missed the opportunity to put on tefillin on the day of his Bar Mitzvah. We told him that he had indeed worn his tefillin on that day but Dovid was concerned that perhaps since he was in a coma he hadn’t properly fulfilled the mitzvah. One month after his Bar Mitzvah, Dovid put on tefillin for the first time with the Skverer Rebbe.”

    Dovid was also remembered as someone who went out of his way to thank everyone who ever helped him.

    “He was unbelievably special,” said Tirnauer. “People came to give him chizuk but he gave chizuk to everyone who came to him. That was the way he acted with everyone.”
    Shlomo Gombo of Bein Ish U’Bein Achiv, Dovid, Lipa.

    Dovid was taken out on a boat trip from Seagate this past Thursday with volunteers from Mekimi and Bein Ish U’Bein Achiv and all appeared fine, but was hospitalized Friday morning with respiratory difficulties.

    “We came to see him on Friday afternoon just moments before his petira and when we walked into the room we asked him ‘How are you? Are you uncomfortable?’” said Tirnauer. “He replied ‘I’m perfectly fine.’ That is how he answered and that is how he died.”

    In the last week of his life, Dovid continued to be the recipient of the love and affection of the many volunteers whose lives he touched.

    “We had a beautiful birthday party for Dovid on Tuesday,” said Chai Lifeline volunteer Baruch Schwartz, who coordinated mincha/maariv minyanim for Dovid over the winter. “On Wednesday, we took him to the wedding of one of our volunteers, where Dovid received a bracha from the Klauszenberger Rebbe.”

    Thursday brought a boat trip from Seagate with volunteers from Mekimi and Bein Ish U’Bein Achiv and all appeared fine, but Dovid was hospitalized Friday morning with respiratory difficulties.

    Maspidim at the levaya included the Skverer Dayan Rabbi Michel Steinmetz, Rabbi Yitzchok Horowitz of Bein Ish U’Bein Achiv, Rabbi Yonasan Hill, Dovid’s father, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Hill, an uncle, Yaakov Shalom Moskowitz, a Chai Lifeline volunteer and Rabbi Chaim Shea Lichter, a member of the Skverer kehilla.

    Dovid was remembered at the levaya as both as an outstanding baal tefilla who loved to daven for the amud on Friday nights as well as a bochur who was so serious about his learning he had three chavrusos arranged daily. Dovid was hoping to finish Maseches Taanis before Rosh Chodesh Tamuz.

    Kevura will take place tomorrow in Israel and the family will be sitting shiva at 1639 55th Street in Borough Park.

    Dovid in Hospital Purim

    A birthday party for Dovid


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    19 Comments
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    Yitzchok
    Yitzchok
    11 years ago

    Heartbreaking..
    “Mi shemais b’erev shaboss siman yoffo lo”

    ain millim.

    Satmar
    Satmar
    11 years ago

    this is soo sad:-) this video makes me crazy! oy bashefer helf shoin, genig mit yiddisha tzures. my heart goes out for the broken father.
    and thanks to LIPA & Gombo for being there to help with chesed!
    may we only hear simchas.

    11 years ago

    Stories like this one make VIN a part of my day.

    BD”E.

    Thank you VIN.

    iYeedel
    iYeedel
    11 years ago

    Oy bashefer, what a tragedy, you an see the happiness and shine on his lechtiga face.

    Ha shall be a mailitz yosher for his family and gantz klal yisroel. Umein.

    So sad.

    Mrs_Boro_Parker
    Mrs_Boro_Parker
    11 years ago

    At the Bein-Ish Ubein Uchiv Bikur Cholim Apartment

    1639 55th St
    bet 16th Ave & 17th Ave

    chaimbrooklyn
    chaimbrooklyn
    11 years ago

    Just heard his song that he composed himself VENAFSHI my tears couldn’t stop flowing what a beutifull hartziga voice he had wow wow a georgious and warm song!!! May his neshuma have an Aliya

    11 years ago

    Nebech, nebech, such a young pure neshoma to suffer so, very unfair. B’DE

    11 years ago

    It’s true that Dovid and his family gave tremendous chizuk to those who thought they were coming to help him out.

    May he be a meilitz yosher for his family, and all those who got to know him during this difficult time.

    GanzGit
    GanzGit
    11 years ago

    The article failed to mention Burech Shwartz, Chai Lifeline volunteer, who tirelessly worked with Dovid, day and night and coordinated events and always managed to arrange professional music and popular singers, such as Avraham Fried and Lipa Shmeltzer to cheer up Dovid.
    Burech Shwartz was the coordinator of a recent party for Dovid, where he begged Lipa Shmeltzer to come be mesameiach Dovid at his very busy time when he was working on his new cd premier. Burech Shwartz called Lipa many many times until he agreed to show up to this event at the last minute.
    Burech, we all know your endless amount of time and effort you put into each child at Chai Lifeline, may H-shem credit you with kol tuv!

    eNTee
    eNTee
    11 years ago

    I still can’t believe this….I was by Duvid a”h this passed Tuesday just 3 days before ….at his Birthday Party, that was arranged by a Chai Lifeline Volunteer Burech Schwartz. Duvid was singing Aleh katan Sheli and his song V’nafshi… for the last time….he looked so good and happy… Who would think this would happen…??? Duvid! We miss you so much! I wish we could just hear u sing just one more time! We will always remember you!

    Shimmy
    Shimmy
    11 years ago

    So sad!!! What a beautiful talent he was!!! We will miss him here at Chai Lifeline!!!

    a-chailifeline-volunteer
    a-chailifeline-volunteer
    11 years ago

    Hershy Katz /coordinator of Achim B’Yachad ther’s no words to describe what u did to this patient and all other patients nebach and in your zechis may hashem have rachmunis on all the choilem of klal yisroel and send them a refueh shelama very very soon and you should be blessed with all the bruches from the toreh. Hershy i’m proud to be your friend!

    a-chailifeline-volunteer
    a-chailifeline-volunteer
    11 years ago

    It’s amazing what these chai lifeline volunteers did for him!!! Hashem should repay them with naches and gezint

    achimbayachad
    achimbayachad
    11 years ago

    Dovid was a real tzadik,and loved every jewish soul. He loved singing and davaning, like dovid hamalech!!!!.
    Yanky Spitzer no one can imagine what you did!! for duvid and his family may hashem give all the best and give you strength to cope with the loss of a true friend. Yanky your the best Chai Llifeline volunteer I ever met !!!!
    Dovid I realy miss you.

    samemt
    samemt
    11 years ago

    We (Chai Lifeline brothers) would like to express our condolence to the Hill family after the Petira of their beloved son, Hatzadik Dovid Hill A”H, May Hashem grant them with only Simchas, Amen.

    We would like to thank all the Achim Beyachad (chai Lifeline) volunteers, for your warmth and support, what you all distributed to Dovid A”H, May Hashem.supply you with loads of Hatzlacha & Simchas.

    And for Dovid A”H, you where the best, you made all hearts of chai Lifeline family enlighten whenever we met you, always with a smile, and what a music talent, a Gevaldige Baal Tefila. You should be a Meilitz Yosher for your Chai Lifeline freinds and for Klal Yisrael, Amen.

    commonsense99
    commonsense99
    11 years ago

    please STOP, we are talking about a child who was niftar not endless PR for not for profits