Rachel Aliza Nisanov, a 13-year-old from Queens, died in a tragic jet ski crash while on a family trip in South Florida. Her father says she was a girl who lived with kindness and inspired everyone around her.
“She was an influencer without social media or the internet,” said Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov. “She was a very special soul. She always cared about others, putting their needs before her own.”
The family had just returned from Rachel’s burial in Jerusalem. At their home in Kew Gardens Hills, her father remembered a sign in her room that read: “Don’t count the days, make the days count.” He said this phrase summed up how she lived her short life.
“She didn’t worry about tomorrow. She lived in the moment,” the rabbi said as Rachel’s older brothers sat nearby.
Her brother Nissan, 28, recalled through tears how Rachel once kept him warm during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. “It was freezing cold in the Sukka,” he said. “She kept bringing me blankets and sweaters. She made me feel loved, like somebody truly cared about me. That was who she was to everyone.”
Another brother, Gedalya, 17, shared how Rachel cried when a close friend didn’t get into the same high school she had been accepted to. “She already got into the school of her dreams, but she was upset for her friend. That’s the kind of heart she had.”
The accident happened Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale’s Intracoastal Waterway. Rachel was riding on a jet ski driven by her 16-year-old sister Aviva when they hit a dock after going over the wake of another vessel, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Their father, riding nearby, pulled both girls out of the water.
“I was the one who took her out,” Rabbi Nisanov said, showing scratches on his arm. “I prayed she would survive, like her sister.”
Aviva was in critical condition but is now awake and improving. “The first thing she asked when she woke up was, ‘Where’s Rachelli?’” Gedalya said.
The family says Aviva is heartbroken and blames herself. “She’s in pain, but I’m thankful she’s alive,” her father said.
An online fundraiser to help with funeral and medical costs has raised over $103,000.
Rachel was the youngest of eight siblings and a beloved student at Bnos Malka Academy, an all-girls yeshiva in Forest Hills, according to the Miami Herald. Her parents had surprised her with the Florida trip to celebrate her 8th-grade graduation.
Before leaving, Rachel made a packing list that included “jewelry,” “headphones,” and “Gap sweater.” At the bottom, she wrote: “God, everything is gonna be ok right?” Then answered her own question with, “I think so.”
Her father said Rachel’s faith was strong. “When you believe, you don’t have questions. When you don’t believe, you don’t have answers. Nobody chooses when to leave this world. We are all here on a mission.”
