After succumbing to wounds sustained in the Route 2 bus
bombing three weeks ago Tovah Lev Hy'd was buried last
week, bringing the number of deaths to 23.
Tova Lev was born to HaRav Yosef Lev, zt"l, a veteran
educator in the city of Bnei Brak, and her mother Channah.
She attended the Bais Yaakov school in Zichron Meir and later
continued her studies at the Rav Wolf Seminary.
After completing her studies she followed in her parents'
footsteps as a teacher at the Mosdos Keren Hayeled and as a
kindergarten teacher at the Neshei Agudas Yisroel
kindergartens. She was totally devoted to her work and saw
the task of educating yaldei Yisroel as a holy
endeavor. In her work she passed on what she learned in her
parents' home, a home of Torah and mesirus nefesh for
the education of yaldei Yisroel for decades. In
addition to her work as a teacher she dedicated her time to
various chesed activities at the Vishnitz retirement
home and with other elderly people in need of help.
She would recite her prayers carefully, one word at a time,
pouring out her entreaties before the Rock of Ages. Her
prayers revealed the yiras Shomayim she acquired. She
would also study the Chofetz Chaim's works on shemiras
haloshon and Pirkei Ovos with the commentaries.
Tova displayed extraordinary dedication to the mitzvah of
kibbud av vo'eim, helping her mother extensively after
her father's demise thirteen years ago.
Every Friday morning she would rise early to make ready to
receive the Shabbos Queen, finishing all of the preparations
by noon.
One of the central tenets of her life was maintaining modesty
in her attire and conduct and making do with very little,
traits that endeared her to her friends.
One month ago she traveled to Jerusalem to pray at the Kosel
Maarovi. After Minchoh, while returning home she
sustained grave injuries in the horrible blast. For over
three weeks she suffered difficult yissurim that she
accepted with love. On Friday morning she returned her soul,
refined through yissurim, to her Maker.
HaRav Shmuel Auerbach was on hand at the levaya held
Friday afternoon in Jerusalem. She was eulogized by her
brothers, HaRav Meir Aryeh Lev, a rosh kollel in
Jerusalem; HaRav Yaakov Lev, rosh kollel of Ateres
Yosef in Kiryat Sefer; and HaRav Shimon Yehuda Lev, author of
Zevach Shai. The three brothers bitterly mourned the
loss, speaking of their late sister's great devotion to her
parents, her modesty and her exemplary middos and
noting she had the merit to die sanctifying the Name of
Heaven, like her forefathers during the Holocaust. Loud
weeping could be heard during the hespeidim as her
brothers described how, following tefillas Minchoh,
she had the merit to rise up like a korbon after
returning from the place where the oloh and
tomid sacrifices were offered.
She was buried in her family's plot at Har Hamenuchos.
