Long Island Rabbi Hurt in Hit-and-Run Outside His Synagogue

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
— A longtime rabbi in West Hempstead, New York, suffered head and hip injuries after being struck by a car in a hit-and-run accident in front of his synagogue.
Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer, 70, who has led the Young Israel of West Hempstead on Long Island for more than 30 years, was listed in serious but stable condition. He was hit while crossing the street; the driver fled without stopping.
The rabbi was rushed to the hospital by a passer-by, according to local media.
Police do not believe the rabbi was targeted by the driver. The accident reportedly was captured on the synagogue’s surveillance camera.
It’s our birthday and we’re still celebrating!
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news.
This week we celebrate 129 years of the Forward. We’re proud of our origins as a Yiddish print publication serving Jewish immigrants. And we’re just as proud of what we’ve become today: A trusted source of Jewish news and opinion, available digitally to anyone in the world without paywalls or subscriptions.
We’ve helped five generations of American Jews make sense of the news and the world around them — and we aren’t slowing down any time soon.
As a nonprofit newsroom, reader donations make it possible for us to do this work. Support independent, agenda-free Jewish journalism and our board will match your gift in honor of our birthday!
