JERUSALEM – Four Jewish Israelis were killed when gunmen opened fire on the car they were riding in at the entrance to Kiryat Arba, near Hebron.

Tuesday night’s attack in the west bank comes on the eve of the opening of peace talks in Washington between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

NEW YORK – A Jewish woman from Fair Lawn died in a plane crash in Nepal on her 30th birthday.

Irina Shekhets reportedly traveled to Nepal on a spiritual journey and was heading to a hiking trip to a Mount Everest base camp when the 15-seat, twin-engine plane crashed Aug. 23 about 50 miles south of Kathmandu. Fourteen people were killed, including four Americans.

Shekhets was a graduate of Brooklyn College Law School and recently had taken the bar exam. She was on leave from her job as an analyst for JP Morgan Chase.

Volunteers from the ZAKA International Rescue Unit left Israel Monday night to assist in the recovery and identification of Shekhets’ badly charred remains.

The decision to send a team was made in cooperation with Chabad House in Katmandu, which is coordinating the recovery efforts with local authorities, and the Israeli Foreign Office’s situation room, which assisted the team in obtaining the necessary visas.

Israeli backpackers will join the ZAKA volunteers in their search of the crash site.

JTA

Helen Walkes, née Gordon, 94, of Westfield, formerly of Jersey City, died on July 31 at Overlook Hospital in Summit.

Born in Jersey City, she retired 25 years ago from her position as deputy clerk for Jersey City.

Predeceased by her husband, Sol, she is survived by a son, Bruce (and his wife, Bonnie) of Atlanta, Ga.; a daughter, Susan Koslowsky (and her husband, Dr. Seymour) of Westfield; a brother, Irwin Gordon, of California; five grandchildren, Lori, Jay, Marc, Beth, and Amy; and 11 great-grandchildren, Jake, Max, Lily, Sophie, Jack, Luke, Ava, Maya, Gracie, Joshua, and Alyssa.

Arrangements were by Eden Memorial Chapels in Fort Lee.

Ady Skarnik, 86, of Boca Raton, Fla., formerly of Wayne, died on Aug. 2.

Before retiring, he was a sales manager for Jersey Paper Company in New Brunswick.

Predeceased by his first wife, Ida Skarnik, and by his second wife’s son, Larry Schwartz, he is survived by his second wife, Marlene Skarnik; his children, Michael Skarnik (and his wife, Debbie Pastor) of East Rutherford; Sandy Phillips (and her husband, Jonathan) of Wyckoff, and Chuck Schwartz of Redondo Beach, Calif.; and one grandson, Marc Phillips, of Wyckoff.

Donations may be sent to Hospice by the Sea, 1531 W. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Arrangements were by Louis Suburban Chapel in Fair Lawn.

Dr. Bernard F. Ross, 83, of Mahwah, formerly of Paramus, died on July 29.

A dentist in Paramus, he was an Army Air Forces of World War II veteran and a longtime member of the Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Lions Club, and Board of Health, all in Paramus. An avid recreational flier, he was a major in the Civil Air Patrol and the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary. After moving to Mahwah, Dr. Ross served on the Township of Mahwah’s Board of Health and Housing Commission, and was chair of its Planning Board. He was a member of the Jewish Community Center of Paramus, where he served as a vice president.

Predeceased by his parents, Kate and Frank Ross, and his twin brother, Dr. Howard R. Ross, he is survived by his wife, Mickey; a daughter, Beth Groeneman (and her husband, Sid); a son, David (and his wife, Ellen); three grandchildren, Adam (and his wife, Jackie), Samantha, and Michael; and a great-grandson, Sean.

Arrangements were by Robert Schoem’s Menorah Chapel in Paramus.

Florence R. Rosen, née Goldberg, 83, of Rockaway, formerly of Wayne, Levittown, Pa., and New York, died on July 28.

Born in the Bronx, she graduated from Hunter College and received a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. She was a teacher in the New York City and Wayne public school systems. In 1987, she was named Teacher of the Year in New Jersey. She was instrumental in forming a Teacher Learning Cooperative, which shared creative ideas with teachers throughout the state and held teaching workshops. She retired in 1995. She was an active member of the Jewish War Veterans Ladies Auxiliary, serving as the national president of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA - National Ladies Auxiliary (JWVA) from 2002-2003 and president of its New Jersey department for three terms. She was also a charter member of the Wayne Auxiliary JWVA #695, advocating for the rights of veterans and disabled veterans, and promoting support for troops in the United States and abroad.

Predeceased by her husband, George, she is survived by her two daughters, Ellyn Bewes and Laura Deptula; a son, Robert; seven grandsons, Benjamin and William Bewes, Andrew, Gregory, and Kevin Deptula, and Drew and Jeremy Rosen; and one great-grandchild, Emma Bewes.

Contributions may be sent to the Jewish War Veterans Support Our Soldiers program.

Arrangements were by Jewish memorial Chapel in Clifton.

Paul Peckar of Edgewater, formerly of Bergenfield, died on July 31.

He was a professional engineer and master builder of major New York landmarks.

Surviving are his wife, Pearl; a son, Robert (and his wife, Maxine); a daughter, Elaine Kinder (and her husband, Jay); five grandchildren, Gabriel, Jeremy (and his wife, Landa), and Leah Kinder, Simara Bruhim (and her husband, Ilan), and Marissa Silleg (and her husband, Adam); and three great-grandchildren, Orli and Abigail Bruhim and Ryder Silleg.

Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors in Hackensack.

Harriet Goldenberg of Paramus, formerly of the Bronx, died on Aug. 2 in Paramus.

Born in New York, she was a housewife and a member of the Jewish Community Center of Paramus and B’nai B’rith.

She is survived by her husband, Harry; a son, Stanley (and his wife, Debbie) of Texas; a daughter, Sandi Dietrich, of Vermont; and two grandchildren, Joel and Adam Goldenberg.

Donations may be sent to the Foundation for Fighting Blindness @ http://www.blindness.org.

Arrangements were by Gutterman and Musicant Jewish Funeral Directors in Hackensack.