Couple who died in Inwood crash were to be wed, friends say

He was a young man deep into his Jewish spirituality, who loved to read but who also could dance up a storm.

She was a cantor’s daughter from a big family, also devout, and filled with a joy for living.

Yisroel Levin, 21, of Brooklyn, and Elisheva Basya Kaplan, 20, of Far Rockaway, met only a few months ago, and their relationship moved with the speed of young love.

About a week ago, they announced their engagement. In June, they were to be wed. But now, instead of making plans for a honeymoon and a life together, their loved ones are struggling with funerals and burials.

Levin and Kaplan died early Wednesday in a five-vehicle crash on Nassau Expressway in Inwood. Five people were injured.

Police say they are still investigating the crash in which the couple died trapped in their car that caught fire. It remains unclear who caused the chain-reaction crash.

On Thursday, Levin and Kaplan had a shared funeral attended by hundreds at Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway. She was buried afterward and he will be buried in Israel.

Mordechai Kaye attended the funeral. He and Levin became friends when they shared an apartment while studying in Israel last year.

“It was heartbreaking to see my friend and his fiancée like that,” said Kaye, 22, of Far Rockaway. “He was one of the most joyous people I know, always dancing around. He made you feel special.”

Levin’s father spoke at the funeral, Kaye said. The man who had lost a second son tried to help people understand why such terrible things can happen. He said God has a purpose for everything, even if we can’t see it

Levin loved to study his religion, and was always trying to find a deeper meaning to life, Kaye said. After his older brother, Ari, died about two years ago, he worked even harder on his studies.

About a year after he finished high school, he headed off to Israel to study at a yeshiva, a school dedicated to Jewish studies. He had only returned home a few months ago. That’s when he met Elisheva.

“There was never a happier time for them,” Kaye said.

Their deaths have gripped the local Jewish community, and there have been news reports and postings on social media about them. That they were killed during the Jewish holiday of Passover, a time that commemorates the liberation of the Jewish people, added even more solemnity to what occurred.

Kaplan’s father is Joel Kaplan, the longtime cantor of Congregation Beth Shalom in Lawrence. He has served as president of the Cantorial Council of America.

Elisheva Basya Kaplan attended Torah Academy High School for Girls in Far Rockaway, an all-female private Jewish traditional school, Kaye said.

“She always took charge to make people feel good,” he said, echoing the comments of others at the funeral. “She would offer a favor even before someone asked.”

Gayle Shindler, 53, has known the Kaplan family for years. It’s a big family with many children, Shindler said.

“She seemed like such a sweet girl,” said Shindler, of Far Rockaway. “This whole thing is so heartbreaking.”

The two people accused of driving drunk in connection with the crash were arraigned Thursday.

Zakiyyah Steward, 25, of Brooklyn, pleaded not guilty to charges of driving while ability impaired by a combination of drugs and alcohol, unlawful possession of marijuana, driving while intoxicated and driving while ability impaired by drugs. Bail was set at $25,000 bond or $12,500 cash.

Rahmel Watkins, 35, of Brooklyn, was arraigned in his hospital room on the charge of DWI. He also pleaded not guilty and his bail was set at $50,000 cash or bond.

Both are due back in court Monday.

By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.comScraigo

Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.