Part of the world’s largest family

T

he Turks and Caicos Islands is a group of beautiful, tropical islands in the Caribbean whose stunning turquoise water and white sand beaches make them a popular vacation destination for travelers around the world. There isn’t much there in the way of Jewish activity, sans, of course, the local Chabad house, run by Rabbi Shmulik and Chaya Berkowitz. The dynamic couple offers a dose of true spirituality in a location often referred to as “paradise.”

Last week Rabbi Berkowitz got a text : A guy had a fatal heart attack while swimming off the beach in Turks and Caicos. Government doesn’t want to release the body without an autopsy. Could take weeks. Could he help?

Rabbi Berkowitz remembered hearing that a vacationer had suffered a fatal heart attack in a resort that morning, and realized the victim was a Jew. He enlisted a cadre of contacts from around the globe who all went into overdrive, intent on overcoming seemingly insurmountable hurdles to ensure that a meis mitzvah would be accorded the proper kavod acharon.

According to local law, any death that occurs in a public setting requires an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Rabbi Berkowitz immediately contacted the health minister’s office, who advised that they would need documentation from the United States on the decedent’s prior medical history to waive the autopsy requirement. The paperwork arrived, allowing the police to release the body, and meanwhile David Kushner of Amudim and Rabbi Shlomo Soroka of the Illinois Agudah started working the diplomatic channels of the US government to clear the body for entry into the United States for proper kevurah.

The bureaucratic hurdles finally cleared Thursday evening, but there was another problem: The Turks and Caicos airport closes at seven p.m. Flying out on Friday though, meant possible chillul Shabbos. Rabbi Berkowitz contacted the manager of the private terminal at the airport — a Jewish woman — who agreed to stay at her post until close to midnight and keep the terminal open. With the airport now open, all that was needed was an aircraft that would make the trip to and from the island, and Hatzolah Air flew in to pick up the body — gratis.

On a dark evening some 96 hours after being notified that a deceased Jew on a foreign island was in need of the ultimate chesed, Rabbi Berkowitz accompanied the body from the funeral home to the airport, where the Hatzolah Air jet was waiting. Upon the body landing in Florida, David Kushner sent out a message to Rabbi Berkowitz and Rabbi Soroka: “Just a quick update…” he wrote. “We are happy to report that the niftar is being transported as we speak to the USA without any form of autopsy at all. The family was blown away by the chesed of the chareidi community, Klal Yisrael’s askanim, our fabulous mosdos, and each of you….”

He then went on to arrange for the niftar’s transportation to New York, where the bereaved children and spouse were waiting, still reeling from the heartbreaking loss, but also comforted in the knowledge that they were part of the world’s largest family.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 945)