Tragedy in between times: The late Abraham Akiva Kraus, 24, drowned in the Sea of ​​Galilee

August 6, 2020   

Disasters between times: The late Rabbi Akiva Kraus, 24, a resident of the Ramot A neighborhood in Jerusalem, drowned this afternoon (Thursday) on the secluded beach in the Sea of ​​Galilee. Regular income from National Insurance? Check your eligibility for a monthly pension today The deceased, a graduate of the Grodna Be'er Yaakov Yeshiva, went swimming in Lake Kinneret while he was with his wife's family on the way to Safed. If you do what he did, there's a good chance you'll be settled in life. Want to too? Akiva z"l was born in Kiryat Sefer in 1996, to his father, the eminent Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kraus, formerly Rosh Yeshiva of the 'Mishkan Ezra' yeshiva and later Ram in Rabbi Yaakovson's yeshiva in Kiryat Sefer, and to his mother, Mrs. Miriam - the daughter of Rabbi David Avraham Chaim Schreiber zt"l, one of the founders of the city of Kiryat Sefer. As a child, he studied at the Derech Emet yeshiva in Modi'in Illit, then at the small yeshiva "Derech HaTorah" of the gaon Rabbi Michael Gross. He studied at the large yeshiva at Grodna Be'er Yaakov, and when he reached his peak, he married his wife Sarah Froma, daughter of Rabbi Yisrael Isser Hols, from the etrog-selling family, two and a half years ago. A year after the wedding, his daughter was born - who is now an orphan. His funeral is taking place tonight at the Beit HaChaim Ponevez in Bnei Brak. The funeral procession was delayed because the police demanded a CT scan at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, because a blow was found on his head.

Photo: ZAKA Tel Aviv

After efforts by ZAKA leaders, the body was released for burial, after a head CT scan. ZAKA Tel Aviv reported that the organization's activities this evening resulted in a waiver of the request for an autopsy. According to the organization, from the moment the disaster occurred, Rabbi Yaakov Roja, rabbi of ZAKA Tel Aviv, contacted the director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir to prepare the institute's team to release the deceased for burial that night. The ZAKA Tel Aviv team accompanied the entire process of treating the body, until the deceased was released and transferred in the organization's ambulance for burial at the Ponevezh Cemetery in Bnei Brak. The tragedy occurred at around 5:30 PM. Medics and paramedics were called to the scene, after he drowned in the water and was pulled out by rescuers. Rescue forces provided him with medical treatment on the spot and performed CPR, but unfortunately, in the end, they had no choice but to declare him dead.

The late Rabbi Akiva Kraus. Photo: Courtesy of the photographer

Paramedic in the MDA sea ambulance boat, Israel Lugassi, said: "When we arrived at the shore, we joined the rescuers who pulled the man from the water and performed basic CPR on him. We continued the medical treatment and performed advanced and prolonged CPR that included breathing, massages and administering medication, and unfortunately, in the end, we had to declare him dead." Yechiel Miller, a paramedic in the United Hatzalah who participated in the CPR: "When I arrived at the scene, the young man was without a pulse and was not breathing after being pulled from the water by the rescuers. We performed CPR on him, but unfortunately, at the end, he was declared dead." Moshe Maman, a volunteer from ZAKA North who treated the scene: "When I arrived at the shore, I saw many rescuers performing CPR on a 24-year-old man who had been pulled from the water by the rescuers after drowning. Dozens of citizens stood near them and recited verses of Tehillim. "Unfortunately, after resuscitation efforts failed, an MDA paramedic was forced to confirm his death at the scene. North ZAKA volunteers treated the deceased with dignity at the difficult scene. The circumstances of the incident are being investigated by the police."

Photo: ZAKA Spokesperson

The police said that "a message was received at the police hotline 100 that a 24-year-old man drowned on the secluded beach in the Sea of ​​Galilee, while he was staying with a family member there. "The man was pulled from the water and the medical team that arrived at the scene performed CPR on him, but was forced to declare him dead at the scene." Israel Police officers were called to the scene and began collecting evidence and findings to investigate the circumstances of the incident.