The mysterious death of an Orthodox Jewish millionaire – murder or suicide?

The mysterious death of an Orthodox Jewish millionaire – murder or suicide?
The New York medical examiner ruled Solomon Obstfeld's June 9 death a suicide, but family and friends insist Obstfeld was murdered after a dispute with an Israeli rabbi.

he mysterious death of an Orthodox Jewish millionaire on June 9 in New York has sparked a whirlwind of rumors, even though the medical examiner ruled the death a suicide.

Solomon (Shlomo) Obstfeld fell to his death from the 19th floor of his posh Manhattan apartment, and while New York police have yet to close the case, Obstfeld's family members and close friends believe he was murdered and have hired a private investigator to look into his death.

A friend of the Obstfeld family told Haaretz on Sunday that Obstfeld, 55, was murdered as the result of a conflict with an Israeli rabbi who had cast a "pulsa denura" death curse on Obstfeld.

According to the police investigation, no ladder or chair was found near the spot from which Obstfeld plunged to his death, a fact that bolsters the family's belief that he was murdered.

At this point, however, it does not appear that police are taking the family's suspicions seriously.

Many in New York's Jewish community are wondering whether a devout Orthodox father of five would take his own life.

"Suicide is not a common act by an Orthodox person – it is forbidden in Judaism," a friend of the Obstfeld family told Haaretz. "He was a very happy and successful man, who contributed to the community. There were no signs that he suffered from depression. On the contrary, he did not leave a note, will, letter or any other sign of suicide. If he had committed suicide, he certainly would have left something behind."

According to his associates, Obstfeld had several regular business chats in the hours before his death, including a long telephone conversation with a business colleague and had recently three luxury apartments up for sale for a combined 6.5 million dollars.

A person close to Obstfeld said he had complained of an Israel rabbi living in the United States to whom he had rented an apartment at a below-market price. The rabbi allegedly did not pay the rent over a long period of time and this led to a serious feud between him and Obstfeld.

[link to www.haaretz.com]