With his nine remaining fingers wrapped in blue bandages, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein has become a national icon, advocating for goodness and kindness in the wake of the shooting attack in the Chabad House he founded in Southern California.
From the White House in Washington, D.C. to Auschwitz in Poland, he has spoken to thousands of people, young and old, and touched countless hearts. He recently celebrated a more intimate milestone.
Dr. Yale Kadesky, a San Diego-area plastic surgeon, has been treating the rabbi, who bravely shepherded a group of children to safety and stayed to address his congregation even after he lost a finger to gunfire.
When the rabbi learned that the surgeon, the son of Holocaust survivors, had never put on tefillin, he offered to rectify the situation.
The result: an impromptu bar mitzvah in the surgeon’s office.
BH. Very powerful for all humanity to take notice. I feel so brave and empowered, just like King David. I am in G=d's holy service, proud to serve with such dignitaries and luminaries. We shall overcome, and stand humbly but proudly before Him, clothed in His Righteousness alone, enabled by His relentless compassion and kindness. BH.