(PHOTOS & VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
A Jewish family of 5 from New York are among 10 American tourists who were killed in a fiery plane crash in the mountains of Costa Rica on Sunday.
The Costa Rican government said that the plane had 12 people on board before it crashed in a wooded area. The 10 passengers and 2 Costa Rican pilots all died.
“There are no people alive,” Security Minister Gustavo Mata said. Autopsies are pending to confirm the badly burned victims’ identities.
The Diario Las Americos reported that the American family of five on board the aircraft has been identified as Bruce Steinberg, 50, his wife Irene, 51, and their 3 sons Matthew, William and Zachary Steinberg.
The family is from Scarsdale, and are affiliated with the Westchester Reform Temple.
Another Jewish women, Leslie Levin Weiss from Belaire, Florida, was among the other victims identified by Costa Rican media, who also listed several other unconfirmed fatalities.
Other unconfirmed reports indicate Weiss’ husband Mitchell Weiss and daughter Hannah Mae Weiss were on board the flight.
The Costa Rican crew members were identified as Juan Manuel Retana and Emma Ramos Calderon.
The Nature Air charter flight took off just after noon Sunday from Punta Islita airport and was headed for the capital of San Jose when it crashed shortly after takeoff, according to Enio Cubillo, director of Costa Rica Civil Aviation.
Cubillo said the cause was under investigation, adding the pilot was very experienced.
The Aviation Safey Network Web site said the plane was a single-engine Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, owned and operated by Nature Air.
(Yossi Taub – YWN)
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12 Responses
baruch dayan haemes.
BD”E
So sad Baruch Dayan Haemes
They’re members of the Westchester Reform Temple.
The family were actively involved in several yiddeshe mosdos in suburban NYC and were baalei tzadakah. Such a terrible tragedy. Hopefully, the focus on their synagogue affiliation was not meant to suggest anything….
there was also another yiddeshe couple from Montgomery County that had relocated to Florida who were niftar in the same crash.
As has already been mentioned, BD”hE! Dear Yeshiva World News Editors and Writers, I’m very grateful for this website, for its careful scrutiny of what’s posted and what’s not, especially regarding pictures. On that note, I was a bit surprised at some of the pictures posted in this article regarding tznius. Perhaps it was an oversight, but just wanted to bring this to your attention.
Joseph they are still Yiddin whose neshomos been taken. It doesn’t matter what their affiliation is. It’s sad.
Seichel: As I said, I’m hoping even Joe would not lower himself to that level to imply some casual effect since chazal tach us that those who speak about ANY yidden in that vile way open themselves to such tragedy. Hashem should be Menachem on the families of all those who lost loved ones in this terrible tragedy including the yiddeshe family from Florida.
Joseph, after seeing your ridiculous behavior on various sites for more than a decade now I have to ask – do you ever stop? You are a disease infecting every community you post on. I don’t think I have ever seen a more judgmental, rude, and crass person posting on Jewish websites. This will probably not get posted since you seem to have some kind of arrangement with YWN that has kept you and your thousands of names from being banned over the years but I felt I had to post something in response to the latest occasion of you mocking others (this time people who were just niftar).
Moderators Response: He has no arrangement with YWN. He has been banned for years and seems to have hundreds of fake new names daily. His personal life is a very sad story. Beware as he will stalk you. Legit.
Noone should reply to Joseph. Don’t even recognize any of his comments posted. People like him dont need to exist
Joseph, and if they were Steinbergs who were Levyim, then they were my cousins and come from Munkatch and can trace their Yichus directly back to the Taz and beyond. And if they were not, they were still Yidden. And the woman who as others have said was not a Tznua, still did more for Jews than you ever will. BD’E.
Firstly, thank you for the moderator response, I’m not sure which mod it was but note that I appreciate you taking the time to reply. Secondly, I am encouraged to see that there are some who agree with me.
Joseph, you constantly post transcripts of Rabbi Miller, you constantly post about various Divrei Torah and things to try and show how learned you are and why people should respect you and your opinions. In truth, posts that you’ve made, such as today, show a truly hateful person who enjoys placing himself above others, even those who were literally JUST niftar.
I don’t comment much on YWN, I’m more of a casual reader since the days that this website’s founder was posting on a small site that I used to manage. That goes back to around… 2005 or 2006 I believe.
Your behavior is unacceptable by any standard. You may think that posting “lumdishe” items makes you someone people look up to, but the hate in your heart makes any Torah you post traif. Please seek help. Instead of transcribing Torah types may I suggest reading Mishlei and Pirkei Avos. Learn how to treat others.