Leiby's Parents: “The Ache In Our Hearts Will Remain Forever”

The parents of Leiby Kletzky, the 8-year-old Brooklyn boy who was kidnapped and murdered while walking to meet his parents after day camp, released their first statement about the tragedy today. Here it is in full:

The traditional seven intense days of mourning (“shiva”) for our beloved Leiby are complete, but the ache in our hearts will remain forever.

We thank G-d for the nearly nine beautiful years that He entrusted us with Leiby’s pure soul. We are certain that Leiby is now looking down from heaven and blessing us all.

We would like to once again thank all our friends and neighbors; all the selfless volunteers from near and far; local, city, state, and federal agencies; and all our fellow New Yorkers and beyond who assisted us physically, emotionally, and spiritually—as well as all of G-d’s children around the world who held our dear Leiby in their thoughts and prayers.

We pray that none of you should ever have to live through what we did. But if any tragedy is to ever befall any of you, G-d forbid, you should be blessed with a community and public as supportive as ours. We feel that through Leiby we’ve become family with you all.

 
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