Venezuelan couple gave a lasting gift to the Jewish community before they died in collapse

Christina Beatriz Elvira and Leon Oliwkowicz were among the 10 victims whose bodies have been identified after the Surfside condominium building collapse on Thursday.

Oliwkowicz, whose remains were recovered on Saturday, was 80, and Elvira, whose body was recovered on Sunday, was 74, according to Miami-Dade police. The couple lived in apartment 704 of Champlain Towers South, according to Miami-Dade property records.

They are survived by four children and 11 grandchildren.

Though they hailed from Venezuela and recently moved to Surfside, they were closely tied to the Lubavitch community in Chicago, where their daughter, Leah Fouhal, lives, according to Chabadinfo.com.

They were active and generous members of the Jewish community in Chicago.

In 2019, the couple donated a Sefer Torah to Yeshivas Ohr Eliyahu – Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago, where their daughter works, according to The Chicago Jewish Home.

There was a parade beginning at Fouhal’s home with a fire truck, music and a giant velvet and gold crown to commemorate the new scroll.

Oliwkowicz said in Yiddish at the ceremony that it was a privilege and opportunity to be able to donate the Torah in memory of parents.

Brian Fincheltub, the director of Consular Affairs of the Venezuelan Embassy, tweeted about the death of the Oliwkowicz couple.

“Nobody prepares us for such tragedies and harsh news,” he wrote in Spanish. “Unfortunately, two missing Venezuelans were found dead in Surfside collapse.”

The funeral was held on Monday, according to Chabadinfo.com.

Miami Herald Reporter Asta Hemenway contributed to this report.