On the 2nd of Av, tragedy engulfed the Jewish community on hearing of the horrific plane crash that claimed the lives of Skokie, Illinois businessman Moshe Menora and his 3 granddaughters, Rikki and Rachel Menora, and Sara Klein, a”h, who were visiting from Israel. His grandson, Yossi Menora, who survived the crash with severe burns, is being treated at a Michigan hospital. Moshe, a skilled pilot, had taken his visiting grandchildren on a trip to Michigan, on his aircraft, which crashed on their way home.
Following his childhood in Haifa and Tel Aviv Moshe married Sema the daughter of prominent Chicago Rabbi Leibel Chaimovitz z”l in 1960 and moved to Chicago where they lived for approximately four decades. About ten years ago the couple moved to the nearby suburb of Skokie.
While his tragic petirah made international headlines Moshe Menora’s friends and community members relate that many of his lifetime activities did not.
From his home in Yerushalayim Rabbi Shlomo Morgenstern shlita who spent decades in both Chicago and Skokie and served as the rosh yeshivah of the Skokie Yeshiva shared some memories of his longtime friend. He recalls Moshe as a “very sharp” successful businessman with some characteristics unusual for a man of his means.
“On the one hand he was a gevir on the other hand he was tzanua. He lived simply. He didn’t purchase his plane for fun; he bought it to save time on his frequent business travels across America. When he donated money to a cause he didn’t want people to know. He didn’t want to be honored or have his name hanging on a plaque publicly.”
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