A wave of grief has swept through the Breslover community in Modi’in Illit following the tragic drowning of 12-year-old Elchanan Karni during a family vacation on the Jordan River. The young talmid, who was preparing to enter eighth grade at the Breslov Talmud Torah in Brachfeld, was remembered by his teachers and classmates as a kind-hearted, diligent boy with exceptional middos. His passing comes just weeks after another devastating loss struck the same community.

Elchanan was the son of Rabbi Yisroel Karni, a member of the Breslover community in the Brachfeld neighborhood of Modi’in Illit and a kollel yungerman who learns in Kollel Chatzos.

According to reports, the Karni family was participating in an organized bein hazemanim vacation in northern Israel. While boating on the Jordan River near Yesod HaMa’alah, Elchanan disappeared after the watercraft he was on overturned.

Large rescue teams, together with ZAKA North District volunteers, rushed to the scene and launched an extensive search operation. After an intensive search, Elchanan was found in the water without signs of life. Magen David Adom paramedics were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene.

The heartbreaking news sent shockwaves through the Breslov Talmud Torah in Brachfeld, where Elchanan was due to begin eighth grade in the coming school year. Melamdim and classmates described him as a warm, cheerful boy who was beloved by his friends, known for his refined character and unwavering dedication to his Torah studies.

The tragedy marks the second devastating loss to strike the Breslov community in Brachfeld in just a matter of weeks. On the 17th of Tammuz, 12-year-old Moshe Glinsky, also a student at the same Breslov Talmud Torah, was killed in a tragic traffic accident. His father learns in the same kollel as Rabbi Yisroel Karni.

ZAKA North District volunteers remained at the scene to ensure proper kavod hameis. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced later.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}