Wesley LePatner, member of the Berkshire County Jewish community, killed in Manhattan office shooting

According to an email sent by Hevreh of Southern Berkshire Rabbi Jodie Gordon, Hevreh member Wesley LePatner was one of the victims of the Manhattan office shooting on Monday, July 28.

Various media reports stated that the shooting took place in the lobby of 345 Park Avenue on East 52nd Street. The building includes offices of the Blackstone, NFL, and KPMG.

LePatner, 43, was a real estate executive for Blackstone.

The following email was sent by Rabbi Gordon and forwarded to The Berkshire Edge:

“Our Hevreh community is heartbroken to share the devastating news of the death of our member, Wesley LePatner, who was killed in the shooting in midtown Manhattan yesterday evening.

Wesley and her family have been a beloved part of our Religious School community since 2020. She was wise-hearted, generous, and deeply committed to the Jewish people. Whenever she was here with us at Hevreh, her warmth and love for her family shone through, especially last spring when we celebrated together with the LePatner family at the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Emerson. 

In moments like this, words fall short. The heartbreak of Wesley’s death is made even more unbearable by the feeling that it was both senseless and preventable. In her professional work and in her role as a community leader, Wesley had already begun to leave an indelible mark—lifting up the people and causes she cherished most. My prayer is that even in the shadow of this devastating loss, we will hold fast to the light she brought into the world, and let it guide us forward.

For this moment, we can only live by the example of dedication to family and community that she set, as we hold her husband Evan, her children Jonathan and Emerson, together with her parents, Larry and Ellyn Mittman in an embrace of comfort and care. Our Hevreh community extends the deepest of condolences to the entire Mittman and LePatner families, and to all who were touched by her grace, wisdom and generosity. 

I will share information about ways to offer comfort and support to the family when available. In the meantime, I invite you to reach out if you or your family need support or would like someone to talk to.”

Blackstone issued the following statement:

“Words cannot express the devastation we feel. Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed. She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone. Our prayers are with her husband, children and family. We are also saddened by the loss of the other innocent victims as well, including brave security personnel and NYPD.”