Yiddy Landau, z”l, 19, Suddenly Passes Away

“Imagine,” a neighbor of Yiddy’s said shortly after the levayah in Boro Park’s Shomrei Hadas chapels, “they needed a great-grandfather to say Kaddish. It was heartrending.”

Yiddy, the third of four children of Reb Arye and Rivky Landau of Kensington, had been taking a strong dose of antibiotics for pneumonia when he collapsed Thursday night while dancing at a chasunah in the Continental hall in Williamsburg.

As Hatzolah evacuated Yiddy to a local hospital, the Roshei Yeshivah of Noam HaTorah, Harav Bezalel Goldstein and Harav Yosef Gelbwachs, awoke the bachurim for a desperate all-night Tehillim session. But at 5:00 a.m., the call came in that additional tefillah was unnecessary. The bachur who they had played with, learned with and kidded around with had passed away.

Rivers of tears flowed at the levayah on Friday at noontime, and continued for hours later as bachurim recalled Yiddy’s good heart and hasmadah in the beis medrash.

The Roshei Yeshivah were working together with Chai Lifeline, a crisis-intervention organization, to help the bachurim deal with the trauma and tragedy.

Yiddy is survived by his father, Reb Ozer Aryeh, mother Mrs. Rivka Breindel, and siblings, Reb Menachem, Amram, Nissi and Toby, grandparents and dozens of grieving friends, neighbors and relatives.

Yehi zichro baruch.

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the March 4th, 2013 edition of Hamodia.