Tzvi and Itty Ainsworth, a Chabad couple from Sydney, Australia, who moved to Florida in recent years, lost their lives in the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside.
By Chabad.org and Anash.org
Tzvi and Itty Ainsworth, a Chabad couple from Sydney, Australia, who moved to Florida in recent years, lost their lives in the tragic collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside.
The couple were in the condominium complex when it collapsed on Thursday, 14 Tammuz, and on Monday, 25 Tammuz Miami-Dade Police confirmed that they had been killed in the collapse.
Tzvi was 68 years old and Itty was 66 years old.
Tzvi Ainsworth was born in Sydney, Australia. It was on a family visit to Montreal where he met Itty Fellig. The two married and settled in his native Sydney.
In recent years, the Ainsworths moved to Florida, where several of their adult children settled, as well as many members of the extended Fellig family.
Though modest and reserved, the Ainsworths were noted for their hospitality and devotion towards helping those in need in their quiet and unassuming manner. In Florida, they doted on their grandchildren. The Ainsworth family welcomed a new grandchild last Thursday on the day of the collapse.
Describing Itty Ainsworth’s friendly and personable disposition, her daughter Chana Wasserman wrote in a blog post last year: “Every person she encountered, ever in her life, became her friend. Everyone was treated as equals,” she wrote in a Mother’s Day blog post about her mother. “The guy at the laundromat, the guy working at the fruit market … ”
Although Itty suffered from chronic pain, her condition didn’t hold her back from spreading her warmth and love with all those she met. A strong proponent of positive thinking, she constantly looked at the bright side of life celebrating life’s small joys.
“I know I will never be able to match my mother’s pure enthusiasm for life but it’s inspiring to watch,” Wasserman wrote.
The couple were among the nearly 150 people who were declared to be missing following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South. On Monday, Miami-Dade Police announced that they had confirmed their deaths.
“We have identified two additional victims that sadly and unexpectedly lost their lives in the tragic Surfside building collapse. Please keep their families and loved ones in your prayers,” they wrote.
Itty Ainsworth’s mother, a Holocaust survivor who resides in Miami Beach, is fighting cancer and is unaware of the tragedy.
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