New York - As we approach the passover holiday, it is VIN News' sad duty to inform the community of the passing of Mr. Mordechai Friedman of Kiryas Joel, New York.
Reb Mordechai was well known and respected in Kiryas Joel and beyond for
his non-stop acts of chesed. As one of Kiryas Joel's first and longest-running Hatzolah members, Reb Mordechais was personally responsible for literally saving numerous lives over 35 years.
Reb Mordechai was also quite renowned over the the years for using his chaplaincy position with the New York State Police and the Orange County Sheriff's Office to organize and maintain a mincha minyan and plenty of suitably kosher food at the Sloatsburg rest stop the New York State Thruway.
It was this position that earned him the most fame, serving as it did to provide thousands of Jews traveling to and from the Catskills, Montreal and other places with a place to daven, eat and otherwise meet their needs. Many Jews, Chasidim and otherwise, knew the hardworking, selfless community activist from the Sloatsburg ''pit stop.''
Reb Mordechai was also a Jewish chaplain at Upstate Regional Medical Center. He also established the Bikur Cholim room at Arden Hill Hospital in Goshen, New York.
The veteran community askan who helped thousands with his tzedakah and chesed over the years passed away at the age of 56 this Motzoei Shabbos after a long battle with cancer.
A son, Mr. Abe Friedman, follows in his father's footsteps as chief adviser to New York State Senator Eric Adams and security liaison to New York State's Office of Homeland Security.
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