Brooklyn, NY – While Leiby Kletzky may have lived his life in Borough Park, all of Brooklyn seems to have been touched by his tragic death and residents of surrounding neighborhoods are trying to find meaningful ways to pay tribute to the murdered nine year old boy.
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Veronica Guzman, a 38 year old mother of three who lives in Kensington, was looking for a way for the community to show their support for those who are grieving. She is organizing a candlelight vigil to honor Leiby’s life to be held this Sunday, July 24th at 8:30 PM at the P.S. 230 playground on McDonald Avenue near Albermarle Road.
The response has been overwhelming as word of the vigil has spread via neighborhood blogs and yahoo groups to residents of Park Slope, Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace and Guzman is expecting a large turnout for the event.
“When we first got word of this terrible tragedy, everyone was in a state of shock,” said Guzman in an interview with VIN News. “Everywhere you went you saw it on people’s faces. We share in the sorrow and we want to pay our respects with a silent tribute to show our solidarity with the Kletzky family and the Jewish community.”
Herself the mother of a nine year old son who has been asking for permission to walk home from school on his own, Guzman hopes that the vigil will send a clear message to those who might want to harm children.
“We are not going to live in fear and hide in our homes. We will arm our children with knowledge and teach them what they need to know. We are going to keep our neighborhoods safe. If you see something or someone suspicious – speak up. Ask the questions. It is better to say ‘I’m sorry for asking’ than to end up having to say to a parent ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’”
Looking for common ground between the Jewish community of Borough Park and surrounding neighborhoods, Windsor Terrace resident Jodie Drezner-Alperin came up with a unique way to honor Leiby’s memory. Joining up with the Prospect Park Alliance, she decided to have trees planted in the park as a memorial to both Leiby and his family.
“All of Brooklyn comes to Prospect Park, no matter what community they are from,” said the 36 year old mother of two. “The park is home to all of us and it binds us together. While we can’t bring Leiby back, it is therapeutic to know that there is something growing in this special place to keep his memory alive.”
Drezner-Alperin reports that the Prospect Park Alliance has received numerous donations to the Leiby Kletzky Tree Fund since it was launched last Friday.
“We live in New York, where practically every street is yet another neighborhood. But at the end of the day we are all part of one community and we are all affected by this horrible tragedy.”
Yesterday in Monsey there was definitely a sense of awareness and “If you see something say something” when a lady saw someone following a kid with a car she promptly called 911. Lesson to learn “If you see something definitely say something and take down the description and license plate. The life you save may be your own kid.
I can’t make sense of this tragedy, but find it heartening that there is geniune care and concern amongst non-Jewish neighbors as well as less Frum Jews. Ms. Guzman’s initiative should be welcome and serve as a model for other communities. It would be well for the general media to cover this event as well.
I hope the Orthodox community will be present at this event.
This is a truly amazing and inspiring story. Maybe we should acknowledge our neighbors a little bit more and recognize that there is good in other people. That is the first step in making a Tikun Olam. I for one appreciate the gestures other communities and ethnicities are showing our community. This is true mentchlichkeit and not politicians like an Al Sharpton looking for air time.
It would be a tremendous show of support and community unity if a nice amount of frum/heimeshe people would show up to this event.
“We will arm our children with knowledge and teach them what they need to know.”
Good for her. Smart, proactive words from someone who gets it.
The only way to prevent this horror and abuse from ever happening in the future is with a massive campaign of education, both for parents and children.
And as far as Shabbos guests – Never, EVER leave them to babysit or entertain your children while you take a nap. Even letting little ones sit on the laps of guests should be avoided. I’ve heard too many stories lately as a result of this tragedy, from people who acknowledge they were too trusting. I’ve even heard from one very honest male with a “problem” – He told me that for men who desperately seek access to children, visiting the homes of large families is a great way to indulge their sick fantasies, while abba and ima are distracted in kitchen, etc.
He would hold the kids on his lap……
His brutal honesty, coupled with this unspeakable tragedy, woke me up this week. I cannot get it out of my head. At all.
If we have been too trusting, too naïve as I was in the past, we can forgive ourselves and decide to be informed, alert, strong and savvy from this point on.
NEVER AGAIN will we allow ourselves to be blinded by “charming” or “shy” predators disguised as guests, friends, even relatives. Just because they look or dress like us, or are related to us, does not mean it is safe for our children to be around them. May Leiby and his candles lead the way.
We all make mistakes. Let’s not make these same mistakes again.
The gesture and concern is very much appreciated. We should learn something important from this.
this is beautiful…….all of humanity….all walks of life….all religions….ethnic group and race have been touched by this terrible tragdey. it could have been anyones’s child.
the frum community should definately show up to show that we appreciate the support and thoughtfullness……nothing can bring Leiby Z”L back but we can keep his memory alive forever. i will try to go bli neder….
uvchukosayhem lo solaichu..This is not the tora way of memorializing .Not every tom dick or harry who thinks of some thing ,everyone has to jump on
This is a lovely idea in memory of Leibby.
This is a beautiful story, and there is an important message in it. Unfortunately, we, as a community, do not open up and show caring and solidarity to non-Jewish communities. This attitude is noticeable to our non-Jewish neighbors and it only feeds anti-semitic views that are out there. We need to change the way we interact with “outsiders”. I work as a public school teacher, and frum people inevitably seem shocked by this and ask me “aren’t you scared?” “Why would you want to teach non-Jewish children”, and other similar biased comments. Children are children, and their parents love them just as we love ours. We need to make a kiddush hashem and treat others the way we would like to be treated;
With tolerance, respect and dignity.
Amen! Well said Bubby!
Agree with number 9 . A torah child who comes from a torah house gets a torah memory. But they mean good and it dos not heart let’s agree let’s not
make an issue
Thank you to the author for writing this article and to VIN for publishing it.