Rockland County, NY – Jewish Community Raises Funds for Funeral of Non-Jewish Car Accident Victim

Rockland County, NY – In a heartwarming show of solidarity, Rockland County’s Jewish community has contributed over $2,000 to help defray funeral costs for a Spring Valley toddler who was killed last week.

20 month old Dominic Mero died last week when he was hit by a pickup truck that was backing up in the parking lot of the Rose Avenue apartment complex where the child was being watched by an older sibling, as reported on LoHud.com.

Adding insult to injury, just three days later a donation jar put out in a local deli to help pay the toddler’s funeral expenses was stolen. Police arrested a seventeen year old Spring Valley man identified on the store’s video surveillance footage on Wednesday, charging him with petty larceny.

As word of the theft spread, Yossi Gestetner, founder of the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council, swung into action, setting up a fund to defray funeral costs for the little boy.

“This is a rare tragedy within a tragedy,” Gestetner told VIN News. “You have a 20 month old being run over, which is a heartbreaking story as is. You have a family that doesn’t have enough money for even a minimal burial. To compound that, you have someone stealing money from the funeral fund, an illustration of how distressed that neighborhood is, one of the most distressed areas in the county. When you have such a sad situation, compounded by all these surrounding things, we decided to come in as neighbors, to step up and try to help a little.”

Legislator Aron Wider, Benny Pollatschek , and Yossi Gestetner traveled to Queens this afternoon for Mero’s wake, presenting the family with a check for $2,250.

82 people contributed to the OJPAC fund over a two day period, with one $500 contribution coming in from Kansas and other donations coming from the greater Monsey area, Kiryas Joel, Brooklyn and London.

“We wanted to say to the family ‘we share in your pain in our own backyard and we are here to help,’” said Gestetner.



Below video: Legislator Aron Wider, Benny Pollatschek , and Yossi Gestetner in Queens for Mero’s wake presenting the family with a check for $2,250.

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