For the tight-knit community of Charlotte, N.C., last week’s tragic aviation accident that took the lives of 67 people hit close to home.
On Wednesday evening, Jan. 29, American Eagle Flight 5342 was nearing the end of its journey from Wichita, Kan., to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., when it collided with a Black Hawk army helicopter. The crash sent the plane into the Potomac River, killing all 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the plane, as well as the three soldiers aboard the helicopter.
The flight was entirely staffed by a crew based in Charlotte, N.C.
Ian Douglas Epstein, 53, was the senior flight attendant on board. He was not originally scheduled to work on the ill-fated flight. Earlier in the week, he had adjusted his schedule to spend Sunday golfing, leading to his reassignment to the Wichita-to-Washington route.
The Jewish father of four tragically lost his life aboard the flight.
Not long after the rescue effort turned into a recovery one, Rabbi Mordechai Newman, who directs Chabad-Lubavitch of Alexandria-Arlington in Virginia, close to the crash site, and Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, director of the Jewish Uniformed Service Association of Maryland, visited the crash site together on the banks of the Potomac River and recited Psalms together in the merit of the victims’ souls.
Once Epstein’s body was recovered, Newman helped facilitate his dignified transfer to North Carolina, ensuring every step followed Jewish law, exactly how Epstein previously made clear he wanted.
The importance of a proper burial in Jewish law and tradition cannot be underestimated. “For dust you are, and to dust you will return,” G‑d told Adam, the first human being. Chabad.org’s extensive section on Death and Mourning quotes King Solomon, who said: “And the earth returns to the land as it was, and the spirit returns to G‑d, who gave it.” The article explains that “the next stage in the continuing saga of a human life is that the body should return to the earth, the source of all physical life, and be reunited with it, just as the soul returns to its Divine root.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 5, following a traditional service at Chabad of Charlotte, Epstein will be laid to rest in the city’s Hebrew Cemetery.
A Passion For Helping People
Epstein had a number of jobs throughout the course of his life. He spent a decade working as a manager at Fieldstone Mortgage Company, developed and sold his own tanning product, and then had a stint as a sales trainer for Camping World. In 2018, Epstein opened his own travel agency, combining his love and expertise for travel with his passion for helping people and making them smile.
It was these passions that Epstein brought to his job as a flight attendant. In 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, when many people were locked down and not traveling, Epstein did just the opposite, embracing his passion for travel full-time. He became a senior flight attendant and sales executive for PSA Airlines, a small subsidiary company owned by American Airlines, enthusiastically applying himself to every aspect of his new career. Epstein enjoyed hamming it up during crew introductions, introducing humor and levity to a typically staid part of the flight experience that most travelers disregard.
But Epstein was hard to ignore. His quick wit and jokes ensured he held the attention of passengers. A passenger who flew on a flight Epstein staffed more than a year before his passing recalled his gregarious personality and “dad jokes” that enhanced the flying experience. It was also his sincere care for his passengers that made him a memorable character for those flying with him across the United States. A passenger from early on in his career, during the height of the pandemic, recalled how Epstein comforted her daughter who was discomfited by the masks and noise around her.
‘He Was a Very Warm Person’
Shortly after last week’s air disaster, Rabbi Yossi Groner, director of Chabad of Charlotte, received a call from his colleague, Rabbi Avremel Blesofsky, director of Chabad of Union County in Scotch Plains, N.J. Blesofsky told Groner that a member of his community had lost her brother in the tragedy and had asked for Chabad’s help ensuring he received a traditional Jewish burial.
As soon as Groner saw Epstein’s name and picture, he remembered meeting him just a short while earlier.
“About a year ago, I was flying when the flight attendant surprisingly approached me and asked if I was the Chabad rabbi in Charlotte. It was Ian,” recalled Groner. “He was a very warm person, and we continued speaking even after we landed and were waiting in the terminal.”
Epstein told Groner that he knew about Chabad because of his sister’s relationship with the Blesofskys in New Jersey. He said he was interested in becoming more involved in the Charlotte Jewish community but his packed flying schedule made it difficult. The pair exchanged information, and Epstein—who as a young man was involved in Jewish youth groups and camps, helping shape and cement his proud Jewish identity—promised to visit Chabad of Charlotte when he had more time.
“Ian had told his sister that when his time came, he would like to be laid to rest at Charlotte’s Hebrew Cemetery,” Groner told Chabad.org. “Of course, it is our greatest privilege to help escort his soul to its final resting place, ensuring that his last journey is carried out with the dignity and respect he deserves.”
He is survived by his wife, Debra Joel Epstein; his children, Joanna Epstein, Hannah Epstein, Carina Finn and Kayla Morgan; his sister, Robbie Bloom (and her husband, Steven); his brothers, Brian Epstein (and his wife, Ashley) and Zachary Epstein; and his granddaughter, Lilah Morgan.
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