The front page of the Flatbush Jewish Journal included photos of coronavirus victims within the community. Image by Flatbush Jewish Journal

By Irene Katz Connelly April 27, 2020

The Flatbush Jewish Journal, a weekly Orthodox publication based in Brooklyn, published fifty pages of obituaries in its most recent issue.

The obituaries painted a picture of a community devastated by coronavirus. Several pages were devoted to the Novominsker Rebbe and the Sasregener Rebbe, heads of two Hasidic dynasties who died of coronavirus in April. Other tributes memorialized respected rabbis and yeshiva leaders, as well as Noach Dear, a Brooklyn councilman and judge.

The publication noted that “due to the enormity of the crisis,” it was unable to document every death that occurred in the past few weeks.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Flatbush Jewish Journals “Yahrzeits and Tributes” section is normally much shorter. An issue in April 2019 contained about fifteen pages of tributes. Most were written to mark the yahrzeit, or anniversary, of a community member’s passing, rather than a recent death.

Obituaries that commemorated men were accompanied by one or several photos. However, only one woman’s obituary included a photo. Another woman was represented by a photo of her husband. Some Orthodox publications refrain from publishing pictures of women, citing concerns for modesty.

“Our women deserve better,” one commenter posted on Twitter.

Irene Katz Connelly is an editorial fellow at the Forward. You can contact her at connelly@forward.com.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount