HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein made a special bikur cholim visit to Amichai Shindler of Kibbutz Kerem Shalom in Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer on Thursday.

Kerem Shalom is a mixed religious-secular kibbutz that is less than 100 meters [.06 miles] from the Gaza Strip. That Shabbos/Simchas Torah morning, Amichai, 33, and his wife and six children went into their safe room when they heard rocket sirens blare early in the morning – a routine occurrence in the Gaza border area. But then they heard the sound of men shouting inside their home. Amichai ran to the door and held it shut, while his wife and small children huddled inside. The men called to them in Hebrew that they’re IDF soldiers and they should open the door. But Amichai heard their accents and screamed at them to leave or he’ll shoot them.

When the Hamas animals failed to open the door, they tried to blow it open by throwing an explosive device at it. The resulting blast seriously injured Amichai, blowing off one of his forearms, breaking his other arm, and crushing his face and jaw. Amichai fell to the floor of the room – still conscious but bleeding profusely. He lay there for three and a half hours while meanwhile, members of the kibbutz security team engaged in a gun battle with the terrorists outside. Eventually, IDF soldiers reached the kibbutz and evacuated Amichai to the hospital. Fortunately, his wife and children were physically unharmed.

Amichai was sedated and ventilated and treated in the ICU for several days before being transferred to the critical care surgical ward – although he is still ventilated. When he regained consciousness, he requested to meet HaRav Zilberstein since he feels very connected to the Rav and his Torah – listening to his shiurim at home every Erev Shabbos.

HaRav Zilberstein agreed to visit and did so on Thursday, beginning his visit by davening for Amichai’s refuah sheleimah. But then a rocket alert siren blared when a barrage of rockets hit central Israel. At first, HaRav Zilberstein said he doesn’t need to leave since in the zechus of Amichai, nothing would happen. But he did go to the fortified area, where he recited “יושב בסתר” before returning to Amichai’s room.

HaRav Zilberstein was accompanied on the visit by HaRav Shlomo Ra’anan, the founder and head of Ayelet Hashachar, a kiruv organization, and HaRav Eliezer Roth, Rav Zilberstein’s son-in-law.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)