It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Ari Levin z”l of Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was 26 years old.
Ari was a son of Rabbi and Mrs. Shaya Levin.
Ari was niftar Friday night in Monsey, NY. Hatzolah responded, but was unable to revive him.
Ari was a beloved friend to so many people. His passing has plunged them into mourning.
The levayah will take place at noon at Shomrei Hadas Chapels, located at 3803 14th Avenue in Boro Park, Brooklyn.
Ari is survived by his devoted parents, Rabbi and Mrs. Shaya Levin, and his seven brothers and three sisters.
The family will be sitting shivah at the Levin home, located at 1410 Avenue R in Brooklyn, NY.
The following is from Yudel Shain's Blog:
AviG: C/P
I want to beg something of all of you. I know a lot of you enjoy drinking, it's
a fun activity, you do it to be social. But- it's something you need to be
responsible about, not just for yourself, but for whoever's doing it with you.
I want to tell you about a boy I know. He went to his friends for shabbos, and
Friday night they headed over to the house of a gevir who's known to have an
open bar, fully stocked, as much as you want.
This
boy drank- nothing crazy, not too much. He went downstairs pretty early to go
to sleep. His friends saw him later that night, flat on his back, snoring away.
They left him alone, and a little while on, woke up again to see that something
was seriously wrong. I don't know exactly what- was he gagging? Choking?
Throwing up? I don't know.
They called Hatzalah, but by
the time they came it was too late- this 26-year-old guy, single, his whole
life ahead of him, was dead. Because he choked to death on his back. Tonight,
his family is sobbing their eyes out. They're brokenhearted. His 7 brothers,
his 3 sisters, they can't believe it's true and they're just beginning to grasp
the fact that they'll never be a whole family again. And his mother- she's
practically collapsing. She can't understand how this is happening. Why his
friends let this happen. How they left him alone when one little thing would
have saved him.
How
do I know this story? Because it's my brother. Ari Levin. I'm the
one watching my brothers fall apart as they try to grasp that they're never
going to hug Ari again. They're crying about how they regret they didn't get to
say goodbye, they're wishing they could tell him how much they love him,
they're sobbing it to each other and holding on to each other desperately.
I
know my dear brother Ari died for a reason, even if I don't know what that
reason was. I know it was Hashem's plan and that if it happened, this is what
He meant to happen. But- I also know that right now, his friends are feeling
overwhelming guilt. They're feeling that if they had just watched over him a
little better, turned him on his side, he wouldn't have died this way. They
wouldn't have to face my parents at the levaya tomorrow, knowing that they
could have done something about his death. And my parents are wishing they'd
known about Ari's plans for the night, they would have begged him not to go. Go
know that you could drink the same amount you always do but this time it's
going to go wrong.
So
I'm begging you guys, as a brokenhearted sister, as a future wife and mother-
if you're going to drink, please be more responsible. Know your limits, but
know your friends' as well. Watch over them and try to make sure they're as
safe as possible. Know what's safe and what's not. Please. The life you save
could be your own.