Last week, JALSA members probably noted that a highway worker was killed on Route 9 in Framingham and that two individuals were in police custody charged with drunk driving and attempting to flee from the accident scene.  That worker was Gregory Vilidnitsky, a Russian emigre, who was to have celebrated his son’s bar mitzvah this month.

Temple Israel of Natick has established a fund for the benefit of the Vilidnitsky Family, after the tragic death. This fund will assist the family in covering their day-to-day expenses during this difficult initial period, and help support the celebration of Ariel’s Bar Mitzvah in October.  We hope that members of the community, and others who wish to participate, will direct their donations to this fund, in order to provide a coordinated, centralized response to the family’s immediate needs.   Donations are fully tax-deductible; checks should be made payable to “Temple Israel of Natick,” with a notation on the check that these funds are to be directed to the “Vilidnitsky Family Fund.”  Temple Israel of Natick, 145 Hartford Street, Natick, MA  01760-3199