Seven years after a tragedy in Jerusalem's Givat Mordechai neighborhood left the Gross family bereft of two of its children, hasidic singer Avraham Fried kept his promise and danced at the bar mitzvah of their eldest son Michael.
In January 2014, brothers Michael and Yitzchak Gross, ages 6 and 5, fought for their lives following the deaths of their two younger sisters, Avigayil and Yael. The four children had been poisoned by a highly toxic pesticide left in their family’s home by an exterminator.
As the boys, critically ill, fought for their lives, Avraham Fried came to pay them a visit, and in a burst of hope, the family invited him to dance at the boys' bar mitzvah celebrations.
Fried, moved by the invitation, emotionally accepted, promising to attend the events: "I'm willing to come, with G-d's help."
This past Sunday night, nearly seven years later, Michael celebrated his bar mitzvah - and Fried kept his promise.
Tweeting a video clip of the event, journalist Sivan Rahav Meir wrote, "Seven years ago, during the 'poisoning disaster,' two little girls Yael and Avigayil Gross died, and their two brothers were made severely ill from breathing in the poisonous substance."
"Singer Avraham Fried arrived to visit Michael, who was hospitalized in serious condition at 'Schneider,' and promised him: 'You'll get stronger and recover, and I'll yet dance with you at your bar mitzvah.' Yesterday, it happened."