BDE: Klal Yisroel Loses Icon of Chesed and Askonus, R’ Yanky Meyer, Z”l
By: BoroPar24 Staff
It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we report upon the passing of an icon of selflessness, a legendary figure who worked for the Klal as well as the smallest individual with equal fervor, Reb Yanky Meyer Z”l.
He was 59 years of age, and was dedicated to the needs of his people until the last days of his life, despite struggling mightily with illness.
All of his work was defined by an extreme hatzneiah leches, a deep modesty and simplicity that never let on the magnitude of what he carried upon his towering shoulders.
His soft and kind demeanor never belied the pain of his brethren that he carried, and the high-stakes political things that he was so often occupied with.
R’ Yanky was the address for the powerful and the weak, the needy and the downtrodden.
While Misaskim and Project Yedid are some of his official monumental projects through which he revolutionized the world of chessed—his personal project was never to say no to a Yid in need.
“He was one-of-a-kind, a rare breed of burning love for his People, while unassuming and inclusive to everyone,” lamented one high-placed askan.
One staffer to a high-level askan and public official told BoroPark24 in deep sorrow: “As someone who’s been involved in community work, Reb Yanky A”h was a true role model in the world of Chesed. “No” was not in his lexicon, and his mission in life was his care for those left in this world without a parent.
“I’ve met him at countless distributions, taking place deep in middle of the night, he always had a smile and was always eager to share his kindness with others. Although he was a generation older than I, he always welcomed those younger than him with open arms in the world of Chesed. He will truly be missed by Klal Yisroel.”
In a strong sense, a captain has been taken from our helm, and there’s a feeling of orphanhood among countless people in the arena of chessed this morning.
When there was loss in our community, it was Reb Yanky who was there to comfort and console—behind the scenes, even more than what he did in the open.
As R’ Yanky’s neshomoh ascended to the World of Truth, purified and elevated from decades of work on behalf of those most in need, no matter where in the world they found themselves—and from intense suffering—no one could better represent Klal Yisroel’s suffering before the Kisei Hakovod than the man who carried it upon his shoulders for decades.
The Levaya will take place Friday morning 10:30am outside 1123 57th Street. Kevura will be in Woodbridge, NJ.