The rabbi of the Chabad of Poway congregation – who lost a finger when a gunman entered the shul and opened fire, killing one worshipper – has had the fingers restored.
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein lost the finger as he tried to shield children from the shooter who had entered the synagogue, near San Diego, California, in April this year.
This week he finished surgery to restore the finger and function in his hand, under the care of prosthetist Dr. Sam Heifetz.
Speaking to Baltimore Jewish Life, Dr. Heifetz said that it was “honour” to meet Rabbi Goldstein.
“His lost finger during the horrific attack in his synagogue is a physical reminder of hate but his counterattack of inner strength, trust in God and bringing good to the world sheds light over and over,” he said.
The attack on the synagogue left one woman, Lori Gilbert Kaye, dead and three injured, including an eight-year-old girl.
The alleged attacker, John Earnest, entered the synagogue on the final day of Pesach with a semi-automatic rifle.
Rabbi Goldstein told the Jerusalem Post he “did not know" what was happening as the shooting took place.
“I thought Mrs Lori fell or a table fell. I turned around and I was face-to-face with the murderer-terrorist, who was holding a weapon and looking straight at me.”
Since the attack, Rabbi Goldstein has spoken about antisemitism, including at the White House alongside Donald Trump.
Rabbi Goldstein said in an address to the UN General Assembly that “antisemitism is not a Jewish problem – this is a problem for the world and we need to recognise that.”
