After 37 Years, Couple Heard Each Other for the First Time

Rabbi Baruch Wilhelm, 61, and his wife Rivka (née Kurtzweil), 56, both struggled with hearing impairments for most of their lives — he due to a childhood accident, and she from birth.

After decades of living in a world of partial silence, raising five children, and facing the challenges that come with hearing loss, the couple recently decided to take a life-changing step together: undergoing cochlear implant surgery at the Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital.

“We went into surgery with joy and came out with joy,” says Rabbi Wilhelm. “For the first time, I heard the ticking of the clock.”

Rabbi Wilhelm recalls that his hearing difficulties began at the age of three, when he was struck by a car. “Since then, the hearing loss worsened,” he explains. “Our whole lives were conducted in a world of partial silence.”

Rivka, who was born with a hearing impairment, shares an emotional memory from her youth. “As a girl, I traveled to see the Rebbe. When I realized I couldn’t truly hear his voice, I understood the depth of what I was missing. I made a decision then — I would only marry someone who could truly understand me.”

The two met through a shidduch, but their match wasn’t obvious at first. “My first reaction was — it’s enough that I can’t hear well, and now she can’t either?” recalls Rabbi Wilhelm with a smile. “But when I learned more about her, and especially after the Rebbe crossed out the word ‘if’ in my letter about the shidduch, I understood that this was my destined match. Within a week, I made the best decision of my life.”

Years passed, their children grew, and the couple continued to live with hearing challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic made things even harder. “With masks covering people’s lips, lip-reading became impossible,” says Rivka, who now works as a school safety coordinator. “A speech therapist suggested I consider a cochlear implant. I knew technology had advanced, and it felt like the right step.”

Baruch was hesitant at first, but Rivka took the lead. “I told him, ‘I’m doing it. Are you coming with me?’ And he came.”

The couple turned to Professor Sharon Avnat-Tamir, head of the Otology and Cochlear Implant Unit at Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital. “From the very first moment, we felt we were in the best hands,” they say.

Both surgeries were successful.

Then came the most emotional moment of all. “When we heard each other for the first time, we both burst into tears,” recounts Rabbi Wilhelm. “I suddenly heard sounds I didn’t know existed. On Shabbos, I heard a ‘tick tick’ sound in the house — I thought it was a leaking faucet, but it was the clock. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

Rivka adds, “Baruch came home from shul crying — he heard the prayers. For us, this is a mission: to tell others that it’s possible.”

She smiles, “Right now, my husband’s hearing quality is ahead of mine; he already hears beautifully. I’m catching up. They told us the real progress will come in the next few months, but to begin the new year this way — it’s truly a blessing.”

Professor Avnat-Tamir praises the couple’s courage: “The story of Rabbi and Mrs. Wilhelm is especially moving because these are two people who lived most of their lives in silence and chose together to take a step that transformed them. The technology of cochlear implants has advanced greatly in recent years, giving more and more patients the chance to truly hear again. The success lies not only in the surgery, but in the rehabilitation that follows — and the Wilhelms are a shining example of commitment and hope.”