Maurice Dadoun
Maurice DadounArutz Sheva

Maurice Dadoun was born in Israel, but grew up in France before moving to the United States. Working with the famed Frederic Fekkai in New York City, Dadoun gained renown as world-class hairstylist, eventually earning a place at Fekkai’s coveted Hollywood branch.

Earlier this year, however, Dadoun, a 46-year-old husband and father of three, left the Beverly Hills lifestyle to come home to Israel. Immigrating in the midst of an ongoing terror wave, Dadoun understood the difficulties of making Aliyah, but nevertheless felt it important to do so because of his Zionist ethos.

Dadoun settled in Jerusalem, where he works at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel as a director at the Saphira salon.

Just a few months after his arrival, a bus bombing in Jerusalem served as a cruel reminder of the difficult security situation. But rather than be discouraged by the tragedy, Dadoun looked for a way to use his talents to contribute.

Meirav Tzalmaro, a 48-year-old married mother of two residing in the Pat neighborhood of Jerusalem, is a survivor of last Monday’s horrific bus bombing.

Tzalmaro was on her way back from shopping ahead of the Passover holiday with her 10-year-old son when an explosive device placed at the back of the bus detonated. The bomb went off at the station just before her stop.

The explosion ripped through the back of the bus, engulfing it in flames. Tzalmaro suffered burns across her upper body and face, leaving her hair singed.

“I was speaking on the phone with my son Ohr’s teacher, and all of a sudden it happened,” Tzalmaro recalled. “I don’t remember even hearing the boom, but I heard the muffled screams of people trying to get off the bus. I saw Ohr and I just wanted to run away, to leave there and go home.”

Still unaware that the explosion was a terrorist attack, she left the bus on her own.

“There was a huge fire, and they said it could be a technical malfunction. I saw that I could walk and I started to head [home]. My daughter, Liat, called me and told me that she saw me on television and that it had been a terror attack. At that point I was already in an ambulance heading to Shaarei Tzedek [hospital].”

When Dadoun heard Tzalmaro’s story, he leapt at the chance to help the terror victim on her long road to recovery.

“I want to give Meirav the best kind of treatment,” said Dadoun, “just like I did all those years for beauty queens and the big Hollywood stars.”

“Her story touched me very deeply since I know that a woman’s hair is one of the most important things for her sense of self-confidence, and if I can help a wonderful terror victim like Meirav, I’d love to do it.”

Tzalmaro replied that Dadoun’s generosity saved the Passover holiday for her and her family.

“No one will ruin the holiday for us. I heard about Maurice and his work; I really thank him and hope that everyone will be happy and healthy during the holiday.”