Ritual Mourning for Leiby Kletzky

At New York Times, "Ritual Mourning for Slain Brooklyn 8-Year-Old."

Throughout the morning and afternoon on Friday, a stream of visitors entered the Kletzky family’s brick apartment building on 15th Avenue in Borough Park. Almost all were somber, as if on a mission they did not relish.

Shoeless and sitting on a low chair, Leiby’s father, Nachman, received the visitors alone in a narrow dining room while his wife, Itta, and their four daughters clustered in a bedroom off the kitchen.

Around the apartment, there were so many gifts of fruit and cakes that the family had been forced to send some back. But these were no consolation, visitors said.

“They’re trying to cope,” said Jonathan Schwartz, 42, a close friend. “They keep on saying that God gave them the privilege to raise this child for nine years.”

Though most visitors had attended shivas before, several observed that no gathering had approached the shock and deep grief of Leiby’s.

“If you had a dad go, 90 years old, it’s understandable,” said one family friend, who asked that his name not be used. “This is harder to comprehend, the worst of the worst.”

Sheltered Hasidic Community Stunned by Kletzky Killing

At New York Times, "In a World That Shelters, a Killing Stuns in Many Ways."

Leiby Kletzky watched no television, a point that keeps coming up in news accounts, as allegedly Leiby for a time liked staying at Levi Aron's apartment.

More at ABC News, "Dismembered Brooklyn Boy's Alleged Killer Is Hearing Voices, His Lawyer Claims."

Kletzky Defendant May Be Mentally Ill

More details on the murder, at Wall Street Journal, "Suspect Recounts Time With Child":

The man accused of abducting 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky told police he took the boy to an upstate wedding, let him sleep overnight in his apartment and then fed him a tuna sandwich before smothering him in a panic, authorities said Thursday.

Levi Aron's tale of an initially benevolent effort to help the lost little boy emerged as he appeared in a Brooklyn Criminal Court to face murder charges in a case that has unnerved the city and shattered the tight-knit community where Leiby lived.

Mr. Aron, 35 years old, entered the courtroom to loud and profane jeers from other defendants. He appeared blank-eyed and unemotional.

His lawyer, Pierre Bazile, entered a not-guilty plea on Mr. Aron's behalf and asked that his client be placed in protective custody.

"He indicated to me that he hears voices and has had some hallucinations," Mr. Bazile said. He would not comment further on the allegations outside the courtroom.

Continue reading.

Leiby's mom is said to be overcome with grief. She's beating herself up for giving in to Leiby's pleadings for independence.

Also at Reuters, "NY man accused of killing, dismembering boy is 'hearing voices'."

And New York Times, "Police Sort Through Suspect’s Account as He Pleads Not Guilty in Killing."

VIDEO: Leiby Kletzky Funeral

Via New York Daily News:

Also at NYDN: "Butcher of Brooklyn Levi Aron admits how he killed 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky in chilling confession."

PREVIOUSLY:

* "Reassessment After Leiby Kletzky Murder."

* "Levi Aron Charged in Kletzky Murder Case."

* "Leiby Kletzky."

Levi Aron Charged in Kletzky Murder Case

At Wall Street Journal, "Missing Brooklyn Boy Found Dead: 8-Year-Old Was Victim of 'Totally Random' Abduction":

A frantic two-day search for a missing 8-year-old Brooklyn boy ended Wednesday with the grim discovery of his dismembered body, the victim of what authorities called a "totally random" abduction by a stranger.

The hunt for Leiby Kletzky, who disappeared Monday after he left his day camp in Borough Park to meet his family, led detectives to the cluttered attic apartment of Levi Aron just after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Asked where the boy was, Mr. Aron nodded in the direction of the kitchen, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

They encountered a macabre scene: stained towels stuffed in a black garbage bag, blood smears on the refrigerator handle and three large carving knives and a cutting board inside. Inside the freezer, detectives found the boy's feet in a plastic bag, a law-enforcement official said.

Mr. Kelly said the 35-year-old Mr. Aron, who has no criminal record other than a summons for a minor infraction, "made statements implicating himself in the death of Leiby Kletzky."

Mr. Aron was charged with murder Wednesday evening. A lawyer for Mr. Aron couldn't be reached for comment.

I'm still shocked at how unbelievably sad this story is. As it notes further down at the report:

On Wednesday, neighbors gathered in front of the Kletzkys' red-brick apartment building. Many had helped search for the missing boy.

"I don't think the Kletzkys had an enemy in this world," said Shmuel Eckstein, a friend of the family. He said the boy's father made a living driving a passenger van. In the summer, he would drive back and forth to the Catskills.

"Leiby was an angel," he said.

I'll say. And Leiby's parents will never forgive themselves. And they'll wake up every day longing to hold their little boy. It makes you want to cry.

Also at New York Times, "Arrest Made in Brooklyn Killing of Leiby Kletsky," and "Thousands Mourn Boy Killed in Brooklyn."

New York's Kehilath Jeshurun Synagogue Destroyed by Fire

At New York Times, "Fire Devastates Synagogue Under Repair in Manhattan":

A four-alarm fire broke out Monday night at an Upper East Side synagogue that was being renovated, spitting flames through stained-glass windows, destroying the roof and heavily damaging the upper floors, the Fire Department said.

No one was badly injured in the blaze, which obscured the sky over much of the neighborhood with smoke. Four firefighters received minor injuries battling the blaze, which fire officials said apparently began on the roof. The cause was not known.

No one was inside, thank goodness. And the Torah scrolls had been removed.