Young Jewish couple killed by tree felled by Sandy

(JTA) — Two young Jews were killed in Brooklyn by a falling tree during superstorm Sandy.

The young couple was out walking a dog Sunday night in the storm’s high winds.

The dead were identified in the New York Observer as Jessie Streich-Kest, 24, the daughter of Jon Kest, executive director for New York Communities for Change, who worked as a high school teacher in the city, and Jacob Vogelman of Brooklyn, a student at Brooklyn College. The two had been friends since middle school according to the Observer.
They were discovered dead on Monday, crushed by the fallen tree. The dog was taken to an emergency veterinary clinic.

According to figures released by The Long Island Power Authority on Tuesday, more than 930,000 families — 90 percent of all island residents — are without power after Hurricane Sandy wrought havoc Monday night across the northeastern United States. Among those 930,000 are an estimated 139,000 Jewish households

The greater New York area, home to the largest population of Jews in North America, took a harsh hit as severe winds and flooding toppled trees, triggered electrical fires and flooded public transportation systems. The result: mass evacuations of apartments and dormitories, widespread school closings and damaged homes and community institutions.

Jewish institutions throughout the eastern United States remained closed Tuesday.

At least 45 people in the United States and 68 outside of the U.S. have been killed in the one-of-a-kind storm, and more than 7 million people in 13 states were without power.
 

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