Barry Levitt, 80, was identified on Tuesday as the man killed when a balcony collapsed the previous day on Keren Kayemet Boulevard in Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood, after his family approved the publication of his name.
Levitt made aliyah in 2020 from Johannesburg, South Africa, along with his wife Janet, who was injured in the collapse.
A second-floor balcony in the three-story building collapsed onto a ground-floor restaurant on Monday, causing significant damage, the Fire and Rescue Authority reported. Civilians rescued two trapped victims, it said.
“A deceased man in his 80s was recovered by Fire and Rescue Authority rescue workers,” a United Hatzalah paramedic said at the time of the collapse. “Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at the scene due to the severe injuries he suffered.”
Five people sustained minor injuries, the Israel Police reported.
'Extensive destruction and frightened people who needed help'
“I was on a nearby street when I suddenly heard a loud noise,” a Magen David Adom paramedic said. “I rushed to the source of the noise and saw in the distance a balcony that had collapsed on a business, with extensive destruction and frightened people who needed help. I immediately reported the incident to the MDA hotline and went to the scene in my vehicle.”
United Hatzalah said it had provided assistance to several victims with minor injuries and others suffering from anxiety-related symptoms.