Rav Rafael Ephraim Sheinfeld, z’l, a renowned ba’al chesed and a ZAKA volunteer who lived in the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood of Bnei Brak, passed away of the coronavirus on Friday night at the age of 59.

Rav Sheinfeld was hospitalized in Ma’anyei Yeheshua Hospital in serious condition after contracting the coronavirus despite the fact that he had no underlying health issues.

His condition deteriorated and he was transferred to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv about a month ago, where he was hospitalized in the ICU and attached to a ventilator. Recently his condition grew even worse and he was attached to an ECMO machine.

Rav Sheinfeld was a senior volunteer in ZAKA Tel Aviv and the manager of the gemach Achim L’Tzara, that provided necessary items for families sitting shiva in Bnei Brak. He would tirelessly trek from home to home bringing chairs, an Aron Kodesh, and siddurim – all on a volunteer basis.

“Rafi was a true tzaddik and a true ba’al chesed who was moser nefesh for kibbud h’meis,” his friends told B’Chadrei Chareidim. “He selflessly dealt with dozens of incidents of meiei mitzvah. Hakadosh Baruch Hu takes the best. It’s impossible to describe on paper the amount of chasadim that he did without any desire to be recognized – everything quietly and modestly.

Rav Sheinfeld left behind a wife and 12 children.

Yehi Zichro Baruch.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)