Crown Heights Mourns: 101-Year-Old Hasidic Matriarch Fatally Struck by Unlicensed Driver While Walking Home from Rebbe’s Birthday Celebration

By: Fern Sidman

A deep sense of mourning has descended over Crown Heights after the passing of Taibel Brod, a beloved 101-year-old Hasidic matriarch who lived an independent and vibrant life until she was tragically struck by an unlicensed driver while crossing a Brooklyn street earlier this month.

As reported by The New York Post on Thursday, Brod had just attended a  birthday celebration for the Lubavitcher Rebbe, on the evening of April 8 when her life was forever altered. While walking home — alone, determined, and with the traffic light in her favor — she was hit by a 2023 GMC Yukon SUV making a left turn at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and Montgomery Street, according to police and family members.

Born in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Brod’s early life was shaped by World War II and the Holocaust. As detailed in a touching online obituary and confirmed to The New York Post by her family, she was among the many Hasidic Jews who fled Stalinist Russia on escape trains to Poland. Her journey of survival continued to Poking Displaced Persons Camp in Germany, where she met and married her husband, Reb Chatzkel Brod.

In 1951, Taibel and Chatzkel emigrated to the United States, joining the burgeoning Hasidic community in Brownsville before moving to Crown Heights in the mid-1950s — an area that would remain her beloved home for the next seven decades.

After her husband’s death 20 years ago, Taibel continued to live independently, embodying a fierce resilience that defined her long and meaningful life.

“She was extremely independent till her last day,” her grandson Yisroel Brod, 38, of Miami told The New York Post. “She would take the bus by herself. She was a strong and active woman — truly a source of inspiration to all of us.”

Family members and neighbors described Taibel as a pillar of kindness and devotion. Her son Yosef Brod, 73, a building engineer in Los Angeles, recalled how his mother spent over 50 years volunteering at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, lovingly feeding patients day after day.

“For over 50 years she would feed patients,” Yosef shared with The New York Post while sitting shiva at her home. “Day in and day out, she dedicated herself to serving others.”

Another son, Yisroel Brod, 69, who now resides in Israel, emphasized his mother’s commitment to hospitality and prayer.

“She had an open home,” he said. “Visitors would come from other countries, and she would host them for weekends and holidays. She prayed daily and deeply — her life was a tapestry of faith and giving.”

According to the information provided in The New York Post report, on April 8, while Taibel was crossing Montgomery Street in the crosswalk with the light, 65-year-old driver Menachem Shagalow attempted to make a left turn and struck her. Authorities said Shagalow was operating the vehicle without a valid license and was subsequently arrested at the scene.

Police charged Shagalow with aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to exercise due care, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He was issued a desk appearance ticket and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 28 in Brooklyn Criminal Court. The New York Post reported that Shagalow has only one prior arrest — a grand larceny charge dating back to 1998.

Despite the heart-wrenching circumstances, the Brod family has refrained from casting blame, showing a remarkable level of grace. When asked about the driver, the elder Yisroel simply told The New York Post: “It was an accident.”

In the days following the crash, Taibel was initially listed in stable condition at Maimonides Medical Center, but her injuries worsened. The New York Post report said that on Sunday, nearly two weeks after the collision, she passed away — surrounded by the children and grandchildren who had been blessed by her love.

Yosef, recounting his final visits to the hospital, said: “From time to time, she opened her eyes. I sensed that she recognized me. And on the day she passed away, my brothers and two sisters walked from Brooklyn to the hospital, and she smiled at them.”

As hundreds of family members, neighbors, and friends gather to honor Taibel Brod’s extraordinary life, Crown Heights is reminded of the power of simple goodness, steadfast faith, and unyielding devotion to community.

Reflecting on her death, Yosef found comfort in his religious beliefs. “I don’t know God’s mystery, how He wants the world,” he told The New York Post. “But we are taught that everything that happens in the world is called Divine Providence.”

Taibel Brod leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and resilience — a life that, though ended tragically, continues to shine brightly in the memories and deeds of those she touched. May her memory be for a blessing.