Outpour of Support For Father of 7 Who Survived Virus

By COLlive reporter

Chaim Avigdor Zeitlin, a 44-year-old father of 7 from Crown Heights, returned home today after a long battle with coronavirus, to his cheering family and friends.

Neighbors and friends gathered outside of Zeitlin’s home on Union Street on Thursday afternoon to welcome him home from the hospital, where he remained for 6 weeks while battling the virus.

Zeitlin, a psychotherapist, is also a popular guitar player. He told COLlive he is beyond grateful to the Crown Heights community for the support his family received during his illness.

“I thank everyone in the community for the outpouring of support – moral, physical and financial,” Zeitlin told COLlive on Thursday.

“We are so grateful to the Jews around the world for their davening, tehillim and hachlatos on my behalf. We must remember that there are still people hospitalized, and who need our prayers,” he said. “They should all get better and stronger, and we should merit the geulah shlaima now,” he said.

Devorah says that a set of tablets that allowed them to be in touch via video chat at all times, on loan from an organization in Williamsburg, made all the difference in her husband’s recovery.

“It was critical that we be in touch while he was coming out of sedation, which helps the patient from becoming too disoriented,” she said. “These tablets were a lifesaver for us.”

Devorah Zeitlin says that throughout the 6 weeks that her husband was fighting for his life, she was amazed by the support of the community.

She thanked Hatzalah, Rabbi Lider of Ahavas Chesed, Bikur Cholim of Crown Heights and Beis Gimpel Chaim Shul for all their assistance.

“I never expected this,” she told COLlive. “There was just an outpouring of support. People slipped envelopes of cash under my door, anonymously. I got a call telling me that I have a large amount of credit at Empire Kosher supermarket, and Bikur Cholim dropped off toys for my children,” she says.

“The chesed, the achdus and care gave us the feeling that everyone was behind us,” Devorah Zeitlin said. “Honestly, I don’t think I could have pulled through without it,” she said. “We have a very special community.”

If you have a loved one in the hospital, for communication tablets call ‎(917) 999-0102.