Jerusalem balcony collapse claims SA oleh’s life

A routine morning coffee turned into tragedy when a balcony crashed onto a popular Jerusalem café, killing South African-born oleh Barry Levitt and leaving his wife, Janet, and two teenagers injured. 

The sudden collapse has shocked communities in both Israel and South Africa and has left friends mourning a man known for his warmth, kindness, and optimism. 

Levitt, 80, was sitting with his wife and two grandchildren when the balcony gave way without warning. Emergency responders rushed to the scene and launched a complex rescue operation. Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics and emergency medical technicians found Levitt trapped beneath the rubble. 

He had suffered severe multi-system trauma and was declared dead at the scene. Three people sustained minor injuries and were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital and Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment. They included two 16-year-olds, a boy and a girl. 

Just days before, the Levitts had celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. 

The collapse happened at the Angel Bakery on Keren Kayemet LeIsrael Street in the established neighbourhood of Rehavia. Israeli media reported that concerns had been raised about the building’s condition before the collapse. Authorities have launched an investigation into what caused the balcony to fail. 

Shlomo Margaliot, a senior MDA emergency medical technician, described the chaotic moments that followed. “I was on a nearby street when I suddenly heard a loud noise. I rushed to the source of the noise and saw in the distance a balcony that had collapsed on a business, extensive destruction, and terrified people who needed help.” 

He immediately alerted MDA and joined members of the public in helping those trapped beneath the debris. “With the help of passersby who were present at the scene, we rescued three injured people,” he said. 

“In the rubble, I noticed a man about 80 years old who was unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing, and suffering from severe multi-system trauma. Unfortunately, at the end of the complex rescue, he was pronounced dead at the scene.” 

The tragedy has resonated deeply within the South African Jewish community because of Levitt’s long connection to South Africa. He and his son, Neil, had built Chilla Beverage Co. into a successful South African family business that supplies gourmet beverage products to customers across Africa, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Mauritius, and the Middle East. 

Roy Scher, chairperson of the Telfed Jerusalem Regional Committee, said he had first met Barry and Janet six years ago after they arrived in Israel. Telfed supports South African olim and Scher visited the couple as part of its welcoming programme. “What was meant to be a half-hour or 45-minute visit became three hours,” Scher told the SA Jewish Report. “We connected immediately.” 

He said the friendship continued over the following years through regular conversations, visits, and shared journeys across the country. “Barry was the man of the smile, the man of optimism,” Scher said. “Everybody who spoke to him or met him, immediately got attached to this gentleman because that’s what he was, a gentleman, a good person.” 

According to Scher, Levitt had embraced life in Israel wholeheartedly. He had found a welcoming synagogue community, enjoyed attending a nearby yeshiva, and quickly became a familiar face in the neighbourhood in which he lived. “He was happy to be living over here,” Scher said. “He found his niche. He just felt good over here.” 

The café where the collapse occurred was only a short walk from the couple’s home. “He was a well-known customer there because it was literally two minutes from where they lived.” 

Scher said Levitt had immersed himself in Torah study after settling in Israel and became a regular at shiurim given by several rabbis in Jerusalem. “He was always looking forward to the next shiur,” Scher said. 

The loss had been felt across the South African Israeli community, where many people had known Levitt through communal activities and friendships. The turnout at his funeral reflected how deeply he had become part of the Jerusalem community, in just six years. 

“The funeral was held outside the café’s premises where the tragedy occurred and the street was full of people who came to pay their respects,” Scher said. Various rabbis whose shiurim Levitt had enthusiastically attended came to pay their respects, alongside friends and fellow congregants. 

“The last time I spoke to him was just before Pesach to wish him Shavua Tov and a happy festival,” Scher said. “It is hard to speak about him in the past tense.” 

He said many people had contacted him after hearing the news, sharing memories of Levitt’s generosity and positive outlook. 

Israeli rescue teams worked carefully to remove the enormous slab of concrete from the collapsed structure. Scher said reports indicated that the balcony had fallen largely intact before breaking apart when it struck the ground, making the rescue operation particularly difficult. “It fell as one big unit,” he said. “It is a miracle that the others came out okay.” 

The incident has refocused attention on the maintenance of older buildings in Jerusalem. Israeli authorities are expected to examine whether structural defects, poor maintenance, or other factors contributed to the collapse. 

For family members and friends, however, the focus remains on remembering the man they’ve lost. Scher said Levitt’s greatest legacy wouldn’t be how he died, but how he lived. “He was such a warm person, such a loving, amazing soul,” Scher said. “Everybody who met him was touched by him.” 

As investigators work to establish exactly why the balcony collapsed, the South African Jewish community is mourning one of its own. A simple morning coffee ended in an unimaginable tragedy, leaving behind a grieving family and many friends on two continents. 

For those who knew Barry Levitt, the image that will remain strongest is not the devastating collapse that claimed his life, but the smile that seldom left his face.