Tragedy struck the Crown Heights community in Brooklyn when 101-year-old Taibel Brod, a beloved Hasidic matriarch, was fatally hit by an unlicensed driver. This heartbreaking incident occurred on April 8, 2023, as she was walking home from a rebbe’s birthday party. The accident was reported around 8:25 p.m. at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and Montgomery Street, according to police and family members.
Taibel was initially listed in stable condition after being rushed to Maimonides Medical Center. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries less than two weeks later, leaving behind a legacy of kindness and community service. Brod was the matriarch of a large family, including five children—three sons and two daughters—as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Born in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Brod escaped from Russia on trains heading to Poland following World War II. She later met her husband, Reb Chatzkel Brod, at the Poking displaced persons camp in Germany. The couple married there and emigrated to the United States in 1951, eventually settling in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood before moving to Crown Heights in the mid-1950s.
For the last two decades, Brod lived independently after the passing of her husband, who died 20 years ago. Her home, a short walk from where the accident occurred, became a gathering place for family members who came to sit shiva, a seven-day Jewish mourning ritual, following her death.
Yosef Brod, her 73-year-old son who works as a building engineer in Los Angeles, reflected on his mother’s philanthropic spirit. “For over 50 years she would feed patients at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center,” he said, while sitting next to three lit candles for her memory. “Day in and day out, that was her routine.”
Another son, Yisroel, 69, who lives in Israel, echoed the family’s sentiments about Brod’s unwavering dedication to the community. “My mother was deeply committed to the community as a volunteer in many areas. She did a lot of praying on a daily basis,” he remarked. The great-grandmother was known for her open-door policy, often welcoming visitors from around the world during holidays and weekends.
The unfortunate accident occurred when Menachem Shagalow, a 65-year-old man driving a 2023 GMC Yukon SUV, attempted to make a left turn and struck Brod while she was in the crosswalk. Family members reported that she was walking alone with the light in her favor at the time of the incident.
Shagalow was arrested at the scene and faces multiple charges, including aggravated unlicensed operator and failure to exercise due care. He has a previous arrest for grand larceny in 1998. After his arrest, he was released on a desk appearance ticket and was scheduled to be arraigned on April 28, as per the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Despite their loss, the family has chosen to focus on their memories of Taibel rather than mentioning the driver. Yisroel, the older son, stated simply, “It was an accident.” His brother, Yosef, took comfort in his final moments with his mother during her hospitalization, recalling how she opened her eyes and smiled at family members on the day she passed away.
Reflecting on his mother’s life and death, Yosef expressed his faith, stating, “I don’t know God’s mystery, how he wants the world. We are taught that everything that happens in the world is called Divine Providence.”
Brod’s passing is a significant loss for her family and the Crown Heights community that she served with such dedication.
image source from：https://nypost.com/2025/04/24/us-news/hasidic-family-matriarch-who-fled-russia-after-world-war-ii-fatally-struck-by-unlicensed-driver-in-nyc-independent-till-her-last-day/
