Allison Rahmani, a 40-year-old Jewish teacher and mother of four from Hewlett, New York, died Friday after the SUV she was driving crashed into a swimming pool at her family’s home. She is survived by her husband and their four children.
Sources familiar with the investigation said Rahmani may have suffered a medical episode before losing control of the vehicle. Police do not currently suspect foul play, although the investigation remains ongoing.
According to the New York Post report, Rahmani’s vehicle struck a tree and a parked car before plunging into the backyard pool. Despite the crash, she was able to call 911 and seek help.
First responders performed life-saving measures at the scene before Rahmani was transported to a hospital. She died while being taken to the hospital.
Rahmani was a teacher and math coordinator at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway in Rockaway, where she was remembered as a beloved member of the school community.
Her death was also announced by Irving Place Minyan, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Woodmere, where her husband, Matthew Rahmani, serves as president.
Rahmani’s funeral was held Sunday at Boulevard-Riverside Chapels in Hewlett. The service took place on what had been scheduled to be the day she and her husband would leave for a trip to Paris to celebrate her 40th birthday.
During the funeral, Matthew Rahmani paid tribute to his wife by reciting “Eshet Chayil" (“Woman of Valor"), the biblical passage traditionally associated with the Jewish Sabbath and often recited by husbands in honor of their wives.
“We are broken," Rahmani’s mother, Rachelle Rohde, said during her eulogy. “We will never be the same."
Her husband also spoke about the central role Rahmani had played throughout their life together.
“Every major decision point in our lives, you took me by the hand, you pulled me, you said it would be OK, that you believed in me, in us," he said at the funeral.
Tributes also appeared online following news of her death, with members of the community offering prayers and condolences to her family.
One message described Rahmani as a beloved teacher and offered prayers for strength and courage for her husband, children and other loved ones.
Another expressed hope that her memory would be a source of comfort to her family and wished them comfort among the mourners of Zion.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash is continuing.