Ariel Rav-Noy, a rabbi at the Chabad Persian Youth Center in Los Angeles, and father to seven children, died suddenly in his sleep early Wednesday. He was 36.
According to crownheights.info, a Brooklyn-based community website for Chabad, Rav-Noy had no “known prior medical condition.”
As assistant director at the Chabad Persian Youth Center in Pico-Robertson, Rav-Noy did outreach work with young Iranian Jews at Beverly Hills High School, Santa Monica College and other local schools, according to Chabad.org. He also ran Jewish Students of Los Angeles, a young professional outreach organization.
Rav-Noy’s Facebook page says he was born in Rehovot, Israel, and spoke six languages, including Russian and Hungarian.
One friend of Rav-Noy described him to Chabad.org as someone with a “bubbly and outgoing personality.” Rabbi Hershey Novack, a friend and classmate of Rav-Noy’s told Chabad.org that he “was the kindest soul wrapped in a dynamo of positive energy.”
“It is tough to discuss Ariel in the past tense,” he said.
Rav-Noy is survived by his wife, Miriam, and their seven children: Mendy, Chani, Levi, Shaina, Sarale, Hindy and Avremile. He’s also survived by his parents, Zeev and Varda, and by four siblings.
The funeral was held Thursday morning at the Chabad Persian Youth Center and was followed by burial at Mount Olive Memorial Park.