An elderly Holocaust survivor who built her life in America after escaping unimaginable horrors overseas has died following a shocking late-night attack inside a Brooklyn nursing home.
Police identified the victim as 89-year-old Nina Kravtsov, a longtime Brighton Beach resident who was fatally beaten on Sunday night by another resident, a 95-year-old woman suffering from dementia. Authorities say the attacker allegedly used a metal piece from a wheelchair to bludgeon Kravtsov inside her room at the Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Coney Island.
“She was 5 years old when she was in the ghetto. She lost most of her family,” said her daughter, Lucy Flom, who broke down in tears as she spoke about the tragic loss. “She sacrificed a lot. She was a single mom. She had me when she was 18. She came here to give me a good education. She was very dedicated, very loving, very caring.”
The brutal assault happened just after 10 p.m. on Sunday, according to NYPD officials. Staff discovered Kravtsov in her bed with a massive head wound. She was rushed to NYU Brooklyn Hospital in critical condition but died hours later on Monday morning.
The alleged attacker was immediately taken to Coney Island Hospital for psychiatric and physical evaluation. Police sources say prosecutors are still weighing whether charges can be filed given the suspect’s advanced age and medical condition.
Outside the facility, investigators found the bloodied wheelchair part tossed on the ground, roped off with blue police tape.
Born in Ukraine, Kravtsov survived Nazi persecution as a child, losing many relatives during the Holocaust. She later trained as a nurse in her home country and raised her daughter on her own before immigrating to the U.S. to give her family a better life.
“She was a mom to all of us,” Flom added, noting that her mother later remarried and became stepmother to two more children. “We are just grieving.”
Former neighbors in Brighton Beach, where Kravtsov lived for decades, described her as warm and friendly. “Everybody loved her,” one resident said. “She lived here for a very long time. After her husband died, she was alone, so her daughter took her to the nursing home.”
The Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, located on West 29th Street, has faced past complaints of neglect and safety concerns, though no official link has been made to this case. Advocates for the elderly say the tragedy underscores long-standing fears about violence inside understaffed senior care facilities.
“Incidents like this should never happen,” one elder-care watchdog told reporters. “Families put their trust in these homes, and too often, residents are at risk.”
Through the grief, Flom insists her mother should be remembered not for how she died, but for how she lived. “She gave everything for her family. She survived the Holocaust. She worked as a nurse. She was strong. She was devoted. She didn’t deserve to go this way.”
Police continue to investigate as the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office reviews the case.
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What will the do to the 95 yr old
They will not do anything.
THIS IS HORRIBLE.
The nursing homes need more money to hired responsible people. the incoming people sh/be evaluated before being accepted. Many Patients never get visits from their family.