David Wichs z’l was killed on Feb. 5 when a crane collapsed in New York City. Wichs, a graduate of the Yeshiva of Flatbush and Harvard University, emigrated to the United States with his family from Czechoslovakia.
He and his wife davened at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in the Upper East Side.
“We honor a very unique man whose life was a life of giving: giving from his possessions to causes he believed in passionately,” stated Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, rabbi emeritus of Kehilath Jeshurun, during the funeral on Sunday.
Wichs’ wife Rebecca Guttman described him as the “happiest person” she ever met and recalled the many happy Shabbat meals they had together in their home on the Upper West Side.
“He wanted me to enjoy every day of my life, just as he did his,” she said.
Wichs worked for Tower Research Capital for the last 15 years. The New York Times quoted one of his colleagues who spoke during the service:
Mr. Wichs’s friend and colleague at Tower Research Capital, Ravi Sarma, described Mr. Wichs as an upright man who put his needs second to others’ and did not subscribe to the belief that success required the cutthroat behavior that is common to much of the financial world. His success came from his love of math and his ability to connect with others, Mr. Sarma said. Before bidding farewell to the man he called his best friend, he said, “He adored you, Rebecca.”
“The happiest I ever saw David, and I’ve known him a long time,” he added, “the happiest I ever saw him was on his wedding day.”
May Hashem comfort his mourners among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.