[EXCLUSIVE TO YWN & YATED USA] (VIDEO LINK AT END OF ARTICLE) On Monday, Rabbi Chaim Boruch (Edgar) Gluck, the noted askan and chaplain to the New York City Police Department, during an interview conducted by YeshivaWorld, related a fascinating incident in which Senator John McCain went above and beyond the call of duty to protect the dignity of five Jewish bodies after an awful helicopter accident in Nevada.
Rabbi Gluck related that shortly after the accident, which occurred late on an Erev Shabbos some six years ago, he was contacted. He was told that a helicopter had clipped something as it was flying over a cliff and had caught fire. The five frum Jews aboard were killed, r”l. Rabbi Gluck quickly contacted the police before Shabbos and worked to obtain medical x-rays so the bodies could be identified. The police continued to call over Shabbos and Rabbi Gluck did whatever could be done in the interim.
Rabbi Gluck was in touch with the medical examiner in the local town and related that it was of utmost importance for him to be able to look at the niftarim to determine if a tahara could be done on-site. Rabbi Gluck also made clear that no autopsies would be allowed to be performed. The medical examiner told Rabbi Gluck that a good place to take the bodies would be Phoenix, Arizona, as one of the best morgues in that part of the country is located there.
The medical examiner related that the morgue generally closes at noon. He also said that he had conversed with then New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani who said that he had spoken to Rabbi Gluck who explained how important it is to the Jewish people not to let the bodies lie around and to get them to burial within 24 hours.
Rabbi Gluck and his team loaded the bodies from the makeshift morgue into a van and brought them, with the x-rays, to the airport to be flown on a private plane to Phoenix. The plane encountered a number of sandstorms and initially couldn’t move at all. Rabbi Gluck received a phone call and the medical examiner was startled, as they were out in the desert where there is generally no phone service. “You heard a phone ring?” asked the examiner.” “Yes, it’s my phone,” said Rabbi Gluck, who answered the call.
It was Senator John McCain of Arizona on the line.
“He called to say that they want to close the morgue at around 1 or 2 oclock on Sunday afternoon,” related Rabbi Gluck, “and we might not make it there on time.” The medical examiner would not wait for us and said that maybe tomorrow he’ll take a look.”
“Can your plane fly to Phoenix?” said McCain.
“Yes,” said Rabbi Gluck.
They landed in Phoenix and the local medical examiner had vans ready to take the bodies to the morgue. Tremendous respect was displayed to the niftarim.
The chief medical examiner turned to Rabbi Gluck and said, “I understand that you are an expert in these things.”
“I have been working on it for forty years,” responded Rabbi Gluck. “I am the staff of the NYC medical examiner, special assistant to the medical examiner for religious affairs, and I do work on these things and get calls from all over the world.” “All right,” responded the examiner. “I was just told by Senator McCain, and his chief of staff who is standing by and gave you his home number, that I cannot leave until the bodies are released from Arizona, and you are on your way back to New York City. When the rabbi goes home, the senator said, we can go home.”
Rabbi Gluck eventually left with the bodies at about 4 o’clock in the morning. Rabbi Gluck later told the chief of staff to thank his boss and tell him how much his efforts meant to the Jewish community.
“It is incumbent on me and the people of our beliefs,” said Rabbi Gluck, “to show hakoras hatov, to show appreciation, to someone who went out of his way so far, so that bodies should not be trampled, should not be cut for nothing, and we should be able to make five funerals at one shot one day later. All that is something that we owe Mr. McCain.”
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29 Responses
Why wasn’t this publicized earlier, Before all the Obama signs went up un Boro Puck and Willamsberg
Why are you posting this today and not earlier. Maybe this wouldve turned ppl to vote for him.
boker tov.
thanx for telling people now.
please remember yeshiva world news has its own agenda and does what it thinks is best for klal yisroel
I remember this tragedy all too well. It was a horrible day.
Great story and thank you John but I am voting for Obama!!
Excellent!!! Couldn’t be a better time to publicize this than ON ELECTION DAY!
iib002 I cannot believe you would vote for someone connected with Jihadi schooling, Wright, Farakhan, Ayers, Khalidi, Malley, Arafat,Brzezinski, Power, Carter. Do you hate yourself?
Excellent idea to post this ON Election Day, when many of our own people who are unfortunately still undecided will hopefully be swayed towards voting for the right candidate.
BTW- that trgic accident happened 7 years ago, in August ’01. May we only hear simchas & b’suros tovos by all Yiden.
And may Hashem Yisborach repay that kind righteous gentile with a landslide win against his chocolate opponent. (bitter, not sweet)
#9
You have shown a very ugly side to being Jewish with your question and most of those that vote John in the frum community express them salves the way you did.
To answer your question I love my self and I am also well informed and that is why I VOTED Obama your next President by the way.
Okay, I heard the part about the husbands and wives arguing who was going on the helicopter, the part about how you can identify people by their rib bones, the part how he was stuck in a plane during a sand storm, how there were multiple transport vans to keep from damaging the bodies, etc…
But I missed the part where anyone was wanting to do an autopsy! Could someone post the timestamp where that’s mentioned? Thanks!
kudos to iib002! It is refreshing to know that there are still straight thinking individuals who are not swayed by bias religous propaganda. As Ihave stated before a vote for Obama is a vote for Klal Yisroel!
1. Obama Backs Dividing Jerusalem
by Hana Levi Julian Obama Backs Dividing Jerusalem
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama privately expressed his support for a new Arab state within Israel’s current borders, including eastern Jerusalem, during his meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah this summer.
According to a report published Tuesday in the Lebanese newspaper al-Ahbar, Obama told Abbas that he supports a PA state, and Arab “rights to east Jerusalem” as well. The sources said Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad “heard the best things they ever heard from an American president” during the meeting. However, said sources quoted in the report, the candidate asked them to keep his declaration a secret.
PA spokesman Nimar Hamad said he had no comment on the remarks, other than to describe the briefing Abbas and Fayyad had given to the presidential hopeful.
“The Palestinian Authority views the American elections as an internal matter and does not favor one person over another,” he said in an official statement. “The PA hopes that the next American president will fulfill his commitment towards the Palestinians and pressure Israel.”
Click here for continuation of this story.
to all those who vote Obama– you are voting for someone who pro-palestine and a puppet for the muslim world. I dont know where you got it into your head that he is the better candidate. You are turning a deaf ear to all he has said and a blind eye to all he has done.
This confirms my gut feeling that McCain is a really decent man–certainly worthy of our vote.
His opponent is an Obamanation, who is planning a million-man “Nurenberg Rally” tonight to celebrate his anticipated victory.
“LiNei SheVer Gaon!”
IIB002- thank you- it was of utmost importance that you posted your smart words here in this post. Why do you have to write it here that you’re voting for Mccain. It’s your vote and do whatever you want, but some comments arent necessary.
I really can’t believe a frum yid would vote for obama it just doesn’t SHTIM! anyway whatever happens is for the best maybe obama is one step closer to Mashiach and maybe when he comes (bimheira) people won’t wanna stay in america
To #7, 11, 13 – Sometimes Yidden are our worst enemies! #13, you write “It is refreshing to know that there are still straight thinking individuals who are not swayed by bias religous propaganda.” It’s really sad that some people feel the need to be DIFFERENT and “express their own individuality” and ignore Daas Torah!!! I find it hard to believe that any Rav is saying to vote for Obama! Do you think the Torah, Chalilah, is “bias religious propaganda”??? I think you need to take another look at what these candidates stand for!
Only a jerk would first post this story on election day, thereby not affording enough time for the Jewish population at large to read this story in a timely manner.
BERNARD_W- wow wow wow- calm down
Monsey review it’s not too late to run for the independent party. You won’t get any African_american votes but everyone else would prob vote for you. Thanx for hitting the nail on the head
I also hear people comparing this potential president to Truman or Nixon who were major anti-Semites but ended up being a great friend. Those were just Americans from the time who had a general dislike of the Jews. Here is a guy with 10s of proven relationships with people who want us off the face of the earth. Including no fear of Ahmenijad. A guy from Jihadi schooling. This sounds more like a comparison to Stalin, Mussolini and a name from the 30s in Germany not worth mentioning.
seriously, are you for real? To think that any human being born with something resembling a brain would vote for Obama…. voting for him, is in essence, saying that you despise America and all Americans. In other words, it is the duty of any American to go out and vote for McCain , a man of nobility and honesty. Please do not shirk this duty.
Moreover, those who vote for Obama should be ashamed of themselves. Anyone who is silly enough to say that they like Obama because they believe in what he stands for- ask yourself again, “What does he stand for?” This man did absolutely nothing as a senator. During his years in senate, he never signed a single bill. He just speaks about change, yet in his past, he never EVER did anything to promote change!!
#26
The ban of the internet was for self hating people like you.
It is not important for youth of any ilk to read your Torah bashing and gedolim undermining.
You should never know of the corrupting power of the internet but any therapist will attest to the fact that adults and children alike have been ruined and corrupted because of the internet.
Who are you to talk against Rav Mattisyahu Salomon Shlit”a?! Do you think that he has an agenda? NO!! He has your best interest in mind and you the dummy are so self absorbed that you are fighting the people that really have your best interest in mind!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go ahead and vote for obama and the big change and let him look out for you.
Obama is winning!!
iib002………are you Jewish?
IIB002- IM HAPPY THAT AT LEAST SOMEONES HAPPY WITH THE OUTCOME. GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR BEST OBAMA FRIEND!!!! IM GLAD I DONT BELONG TO YOUR GROUP!!!
Where has everyone’s rational thought gone? Publicizing this earlier would have only made a difference to all those who were already going to vote for him.