The family of Leiby Kletzky, the 8-year-old Brooklyn Hasidic boy who was killed and dismembered this week, have largely been staying away from the public since news of the son's death was revealed earlier this week. But the family pinned a note to the front door of their Borough Park building this morning, asking for privacy, saying they wouldn't be giving any other statements, and most of all, thanking the community for their support during the horrific ordeal. Below, you can read the rest of the statement:
We are forever grateful and thankful to Hashem (G-d). We would also like to express to each and every individual - to our friends and neighbors and our fellow New Yorkers and to all the volunteers and to all the agencies from the local, city, state, and federal, who assisted us above and beyond physically, emotionally, and spiritually - and to all from around the world, who had us in their thoughts and prayers. From the depths of our mourning hearts, we thank you!
A neighbor who saw the note told the News: "It just goes to show you the true character of this family. Even in the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, the family takes the time to give thanks. It truly touches my heart," said Abe Aron (no relation to confessed killer Levi Aron). Other neighbors are still in shock that the murder happened so close to home in the insular enclave of Borough Park: "I never knew we had someone like that a block away. A monster. There are a lot of things that happen in the world today. But how can you kill a child? I still can't get it through my head," said Gidaliy Kvasha.
The Jewish Softball League in Crown Heights held their own tribute to Leiby yesterday between games. Yitzi Cole, a member of the league, said a group of non-Jewish men and women came with their children to show solidarity and support in the wake of the tragedy. The group handed out white and blue balloons, held a brief moment of silence, then released the balloons. Watch a video of it below:
The United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg (UJO) is urging NYS lawmakers to support and adopt legislation entitled “The Leiby Initiative,” which would grant a $500 annual tax credit to NYC property owners who purchase, install, and maintain surveillance cameras around their property. Security footage was instrumental for amateur sleuth Yaakov German, whose tireless efforts led to the breakthrough in finding Aron. Below, in which he explains how they were able to track down footage of Leiby from the day he disappeared:
For some, the tragedy has also eerily recalled the abduction of 6-year-old Etan Patz from over 30 years ago. Etan vanished in May 1979 as he walked from his family's SoHo apartment to his school bus stop two blocks away—Leiby was walking seven blocks from his camp to meet his parents when he was abducted. Another similarity? It was the first time both boys had been allowed to walk alone in the street.
Unlike Leiby, Etan's body was never found, and he was declared legally dead in 2001. For several years, convicted sex abuser Jose Antonio Ramos, a friend of Patz's babysitter, was the prime suspect due to jailhouse informants saying he had admitted to the crime. But Ramos, in jail for a separate molestation crime, has never been charged with the murder. He will be released from prison in just over a year, but Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance reopened the case last year to give it what a spokesman called “a fresh look.”
