Chanuka jelly donut
Chanuka jelly donutFlash90

In two separate incidents Sunday, Israelis who indulged in one of Hanukkah's tastiest treats – the sufganiya, or jelly donut – got more than they bargained for. A nine year old girl and a 60 year old woman were both in the hospital Sunday night after they ate donuts that proved to be a bit more than they could chew.

In Rishon Lezion, the nine year old was taken to the hospital after eating a donut, despite her allergy to gluten products. It is not clear why she ate the donut, but after realizing that she did, adults at the Hanukkah party she was attending called police and medical rescue staff. The girl was taken to Assaf Harofeh Hospital, where she was in serious condition.

Meanwhile, a 60 year old woman was in the hospital in Tel Aviv after nearly choking on a donut. Paramedics arrived on the scene after just a few minutes and began administering the Heimlich Maneuver, Magen David Adom officials said Sunday. They were finally able to remove the offending piece of donut, and took their patient to the hospital where she, too was being held in serious condition.

Two weeks ago, an 86 year old died a day after being brought into the hospital after choking due to trying to swallow too large a piece of donut. Last week, a 75 year old choked on a piece of donut as well, and she, too, was taken to a Hadera hospital in serious condition.

Paramedics urged parents, children, and caregivers to carefully supervise very old or very young people to ensure they did not take too large a bite of donut, and to ensure that they chewed their donuts well. Donuts, they said, tend to solidify when saliva is added to the dough as a result of chewing – which is why there are so many relative cases of choking on them.