Welcome to New York, Rabbi Yitzi

By COLlive reporter
Photos, Video: Itzik Roytman

Rabbi Yitzi Hurwitz, the Chabad Shliach who has been bravely battling ALS, has arrived in New York on Wednesday afternoon for the first time in a few years.

Bedridden and attached to medical support, transporting him from his home in Los Angeles to celebrate his son’s Bar Mitzvah in Brooklyn, was no small feat.

Hatzolah Air, directed by Eli Rowe from Hatzalah of Queens, stepped in with their private Lear 60 plane that is a fully equipped medical center. A full team was on hand with Rabbi Yitzi as he flew from Los Angeles, including a doctor and a nurse.

Funded by private donations, Hatzolah Air flights assist with medical, humanitarian, disaster relief, compassion, end-of-life trips for the sick and infirm as well as urgent and emergent charitable flights.

Greeting Rabbi Yitzi upon on his arrival at Westchester Airport in New York on Wednesday afternoon were Chanan Feldman and Yitzchok Rimler, members of Crown Heights Hatzalah who are also former classmates and close friends of Yitzi.

They were joined by Sholom Wilhelm and Naftali Berkowitz, Yitzi’s good friends who are coordinating his entire trip in New York.

“After much discussion, we realized that the best way to transport Yitzi for the 2-hour drive from Westchester Airport to New York City, was via the Hatzalah ambulance,” Wilhelm told COLlive.com.

“This was for Yitzi’s safety as well as comfort since we needed a fully operational electric system as well as ample room for both the doctor and nurse to remain with Yitzi for the entire ride.”

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Rabbi Yitzi founded the Chabad Jewish Center in Temecula, California, and is married to Dina and has 7 children. To set up a time to meet or visit with him in New York, text +1-917-634-0706 or email [email protected].

For more information on Hatzola Air, visit http://hatzolair.org