Brazilian Jews are mourning a Jewish victim of this month’s deadly plane crash in the country.
Rebeca Haddad, 14, apparently was the only Jew among the more than 200 people killed July 17 when a TAM Airlines plane crashed and exploded after skidding off the runway at Brazil’s busiest airport in Sao Paulo.
Haddad had been on her way to enjoy a school vacation. Before boarding, she told her father, “I love you so much. Thank you for giving me this trip.”
Like many Brazilians, Haddad was a fervent soccer fan. Her luggage included five shirts of her favorite team, Gremio. A major team in the Brazilian league, Gremio honored Haddad’s memory with a minute of silence during a recent match.
An official from Brazil’s B’nai B’rith took part in an ecumenical ceremony in memory of the victims held near the accident site several days after the crash.
Haddad hailed from Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, which has some 12,000 Jews.
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