Amy Friedlander, 46, her daughter, Molly, 10, and son, Gregory, 8, died at the hands of their father, Sam Friedlander, 50, in a tragic murder-suicide, Oct. 18, in Cross River, NY, a village about 60 miles north of New York City described as “a perfect suburban neighborhhod.”
Sam and Amy Friedlander had been due in court the next day in a divorce proceeding, police said. Friedlander had legally purchased a shotgun he used in the killings about six months prior to the attack, media reported.
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Amy, Molly, and Gregory were mourned at an emotional funeral in Pennsylvania on Oct. 23. "There are simply no words to prepare anyone for the unspeakable grief that we are feeling here today," said Rabbi Craig Axler. "There are no words to describe the anger or lack of justice we are experiencing here today. We come here as a family and community that is torn. There is a hole in the world where Amy, Molly and Gregory are supposed to be.”
Media reported that Amy Friedlander, who ran a student tutoring company from her home, was remembered as an “adoring mother,” her son was remembered as an “avid Yankees fan,” and a cousin placed a "best friends" necklace and a ladybug Pillow Pet on Molly’s coffin.
“My sister, my best friend, Amy, you were taken away from me too soon,” said Jill Gobora. “I wish in your lifetime you could have truly appreciated how funny, pretty, kind, and intelligent you really were. You were such a loving, caring, and devoted mother. Molly and Gregory were such wonderful children because of you and only you. My heart will ache for you every day.”
In the days after the killing, women’s groups rallied on the victims’ behalf, criticizing media reports quoting old friends of Sam Friedlander that they said pushed the blame for the killings on Amy Friedlander.
Volunteers from Chesed Shel Emes of Brooklyn cleaned the family home in the days after the killings to permit proper Jewish burial, but the organization’s apparent posting of photos of their efforts on Twitter angered Amy Friedlander’s father, and the pictures were later taken offline.
The Eulogizer highlights the life accomplishments of famous and not-so-famous Jews who have passed away recently. Write to the Eulogizer at eulogizer@jta.org.
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