Jewish journalist Mark Deitch, 67, drowned late Thursday evening during the rescue of a girl in Bali.
Deitch was renowned in Russia, where he worked for the “Svoboda” radio station, as well as with “Izvestia,” “Moskovsky Komsomolets” and “Literaturnaya Gazeta.”
“We were on a holiday in Indonesia with kids and friends," Ksenia Deitch said. "My husband took the daughter of our friends to swim in the ocean. Not far, just a dozen meters off the shore. There was a very strong current there, strong waves, and the ocean itself is quite unpredictable.
"They must have been knocked down by a wave and dragged out into the open ocean. I rushed off to call for lifeguards. Meanwhile, my husband managed to push the girl to the shore. She was saved. But when he was pulled out it was already too late,” she said.
While not outwardly religious, he was described as "a friend of the Jewish community" in Russia.
Deitch will be laid to rest on May 14.