The father of a teenager who tragically died in a boating accident last weekend wrote in a heartbreaking letter that he and his wife always say their daughter “got the best sides of both of us.”
Matthew Adler’s message was read Monday at the funeral of Ella Riley Adler, 15, in Miami. Rabbi Jonathan Berkun, who led the service, called Ella “a star, a force of nature.”
“You were taken from us far too soon and the world was robbed of everything you could have achieved. But you will always be here with us and your friends and family will carry your energy and spirit with them forever,” he added.
Mourners remember Ella, the granddaughter of U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Michael Adler, as a prodigious ballerina who once aspired to become president of the United States.
In the wake of her death on Saturday, officials in Florida are offering a $20,000 reward leading to information about her killer.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Ella died Saturday while being towed by a boat after water skiing at Nixon Beach in Key Biscayne when she was struck by a boat, which quickly fled the scene of the tragedy.
Ella’s (center) devastated family described her as a “force of nature” who “loved to dance,” and she was a celebrated local ballerina with the Miami City Ballet.
Ella’s coffin is carried by members of the temple
Friends and family attended Ella’s funeral Monday morning, Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach
Police searched marinas near the scene of the collision on Monday, but have not yet located the boater. Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward to anyone who can provide information about the person who hit the teenage girl with their boat and then took off.
Crime Stoppers said in a statement that the boat could be anywhere in the region as the investigation continues. There is one family, one group of friends, whose Mother’s Day and lives were changed forever!,” the agency said in a statement.
Her obituary notes that Ella’s great-grandparents were Holocaust survivors, as does her Jewish pride.
In addition to her dance activities, Ella was a member of the Ransom Everglades Jewish Students Association.
Ella has appeared in over 100 different productions of The Nutcracker with the Miami City Ballet and recently appeared in a school production of Chicago.
“We should remember her as she would want to be remembered, as a star, a force of nature, a radiant and beautiful young woman who was loved, admired, cherished and adored by more people than anyone of her age would normally be.” Rabbi Jonathan Berkum said on Monday, it was reported the Miami Herald.
“To have known Ella all her life, as I have been blessed to do, is to know how wrong and unfair it is for us to have lost her so soon,” he continued.
“Her death is enough to make us question our faith. God did not do this. On the contrary, God is weeping bitter tears here.’
The talented teen school said she ‘shone in our classrooms and on our stages’
Ella was a celebrated local ballerina who was cast in performances of The Nutcracker and performed more than 100 times for the Miami City Ballet
Meanwhile, one of Ella’s school friends also read a moving statement.
‘Ella, you had so many qualities to admire. You were passionate about your faith. You loved your family. You loved your friends. And you were loved by everyone. “I miss you so much, and I will honor your memory by never forgetting the special things about you,” she said.
At the funeral, Ella’s friends cried loudly as Rihanna’s song Diamonds in the Sky played, while the teen’s face appeared on a large screen with her date of birth and her death displayed.
The funeral took place at Temple Beth Shalom.
‘It’s really sad to hear. I heard she was a very nice girl, she was on the dance team, she had a lot of good friends. I can’t even imagine the pain they’re going through,” said a fellow Ransom Everglades student CBS Miami.
‘It sounded like a freak accident and even worse like a collision. That’s just a bit evil. How can you not have a conscience to help the girl you just hit with your boat,” said Myles Gelber.
Before becoming ambassador to Belgium, Michael Adler was president of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and served on the board of Florida International University.
Ella’s obituary noted her love for the State of Israel. Her grandfather spoke openly about his ambition to become ambassador of the Jewish state.
A first responder revealed that when officials arrived at the scene of the crash, they found “a lot of blood in the water.”
‘I don’t know if he was drunk. I don’t know if he wasn’t paying attention. But you have to pay attention to the water and open water just like you pay attention to the street,” family friend Robert Strauss told CBS Miami
Maritime attorney Michael Winkleman has discredited a social media rumor that the boat’s driver may not have known if he hit a person.
‘I find that extremely hard to believe because hitting a person is a large object. You would definitely feel that, especially when you are driving at any speed. . So it’s hard for me to imagine that,” he said NBC Miami.
‘I don’t know if he was drunk. I don’t know if he wasn’t paying attention. But you have to pay attention to the water and open water, just like you pay attention to the street,” family friend Robert Strauss said. CBS Miami.
In a tragic coincidence, Ella’s elementary school friend Lucy Fernandez was killed in a boating accident in the same area over Labor Day weekend in 2022.
“I looked at my phone and I got a text from a cousin of mine, it was like the wind was completely sucked out of me and out of the room, thinking ‘Oh my God, here’s another tragedy.’” Andy Fernandez told WSVN this week.
“What really hurt was just thinking about the Adler family and what they went through,” he added.
“I’m angry that this had to happen again,” Lucy’s mother, Melissa, also said.
Anyone with any information about the case is asked to call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
On Monday, investigators said “significant progress” had been made in the investigation.
