On Wednesday, February 2, Leora (Alyeshmerayni) and Joel Ezoory, a couple with five children from Hancock Park, were on an anniversary trip in Colorado when Leora, 33, was killed in a car crash. Joel, 34, was badly injured but is recovering.
“Leora was the most vibrant, outgoing, selfless person I knew,” said Joel Bess, Leora’s employer and friend, who set up a fund for Joel and his children. “She would pray for other people to find the right shidduch. There was never a person in need who she didn’t help. She was the sweetest person and outgoing and always smiling.”
“There was never a person in need that she didn’t help. She was the sweetest person and outgoing and always smiling.” – Joel Bess
Leora was a mother of two sons and three girls; the youngest is seven months old and the oldest is 11.
“She lived her life dedicated to her husband and kids,” said Bess. “Every single morning, either she or her husband would walk their children to school without fail.”
Bess knew Leora because she babysat his children. She encouraged Bess to start a company, which he did, and he hired her as his personal assistant at his integrated media company, Optimal Fusion Inc. Then, she became a marketing and advertising manager there.
Leora and Joel were driving in Idaho Springs, Colorado in a blizzard when they hit a big rig that had broken down on the side of the road. By the time emergency responders arrived, she was declared deceased. Hatzolah Air sent a private jet to pick up Joel and Leora’s body to take them back to Los Angeles for the funeral on February 3.
To pray for Joel’s healing, his Hebrew name is Eliyahu Shmuel Ben Leah.
