An ultra-Orthodox Jewish rabbi drowned while performing a ritual immersion in the sea off the resort town of Aberystwyth in West Wales.
Dov Berish Englander, 47, described as a highly respected member of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in London, on vacation in the picturesque seaside town of Aberystwyth, where he died while diving into the sea, using it as a "mikvah" ritual bath, in the traditional cleansing of the body in a natural water body that symbolizes a return to purity.
A hotel guest called the emergency phone number after seeing Rabbi Englander fighting for his life at sea.
A lifeboat and rescue helicopter arrived and the team took the rabbi out of the water. Paramedics tried to revive him, but the rabbi was pronounced dead at Bronglais General Hospital in Aberystwyth, the news media reported.
Rabbi Berish Englander, of Stamford Hill, north London, was described as "well respected" for his religious knowledge and charity. "He was a rabbi that was categorized as very fair and very, very
prominent and respected in the community," said a member of the community.
"He was a good example to all. He was the kind of man to show as a role model for children," he said. "He was very kind and generous and gave huge amounts of money to charity. He will be missed by all who knew him."
Police said they are not treating the incident as suspicious. In June, the Satmar Rabbi Chaim Breisch died after struggling in the sea off the coastal town of Broadstairs, Kent, about 80 kilometers southeast of London.
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