Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, provided an update on the condition of his son Neria, who was critically wounded in a ramming attack.
“Neria has severe head injuries, but in recent days he has begun breathing on his own. He is still unconscious."
Leiter later clarified that despite several encouraging signs, Neria remains in very serious condition and is not yet out of danger.
Leiter noted that "the medical treatment he is receiving in the intensive care unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center is of the highest standard."
The Leiter family thanked the medical staff and the public for their prayers and support, and asked that people continue to pray for the recovery of Neria Dov ben Chana.
Last Friday, Leiter wrote an emotional message from his son's bedside ahead of the Simchat Torah holiday, thanking those who have prayed for his recovery and reflecting on Jewish resilience.
Leiter opened his message by describing the difficult circumstances facing his family as Neria remains hospitalized on life support.
“As I sit here at my son Neria’s bedside, I am thinking about what the most appropriate message would be as we enter the Simchat Torah holiday. Neria is still on life support and my first thought is one of immense gratitude for the support and all the prayers on his behalf. Your prayers have given my family and me tremendous strength in the knowledge that prayers matter. Prime Minister Netanyahu visited us in the hospital today to share a much-needed sense of comfort and support."
The Ambassador then turned to the significance of Simchat Torah in the shadow of the October 7 massacre, arguing that the attacks against Israel are rooted in an ideology that must be confronted.
"My second thought is of the importance of reminding ourselves, and anyone still willing to listen, that the October 7 attack on Simchat Torah three years ago was cultivated in an ideology that believes killing Jews is admirable and that there is no place for an Israel, any Israel. It is the same ideology that murdered Nathaniel Shukrun just before Yom Kippur, tried to murder my second son right after Yom Kippur, and tried to crash a passenger jet on its way to Tel Aviv two days before the anniversary of Israel’s own September 11. Until we defeat this ideology, we are all like Neria, on life support."
Leiter’s third reflection focused on what he described as the enduring resilience of the Jewish people, connecting it to the meaning of his son’s name.
"And thought #3: People don’t understand Israeli resilience. Neria is Hebrew for “G-d’s candle." We gave him that name because he was born just before the Sabbath when the Biblical portion that begins with Numbers 8:2 is read in synagogues. In the verse, G-d instructs Moses to tell Aharon to set up seven lamps in a way that they face forward and give light in front of the Temple’s golden lamp stand. Aaron’s merit in this task was greater than all the other leaders who participated in the consecration of the holy Temple. Greater why? Because the consecration was a one-time occurrence, while illuminating the Temple, Jerusalem, was a permanent and ongoing duty."
From the image of the Temple lamps, Leiter moved to the broader story of Jewish survival through generations of persecution and upheaval.
"History has proven the light’s eternity. Mark Twain perhaps put it best: “If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of, but he is heard of, has always been heard of."
Continuing the quotation, Leiter highlighted Twain’s observations on the Jewish people’s influence despite their small numbers.
"He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and abstruse learning are also away out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers."
Twain then reflected on the Jewish people’s survival throughout history.
"He has made a marvellous fight in the world, in all the ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself, and be excused for it. The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished."
Leiter concluded the quotation with Twain’s contrast between the disappearance of ancient civilizations and the continued existence of the Jewish people.
"The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"
Concluding his message, Leiter returned to his son and expressed hope that by next Simchat Torah, Neria will once again be able to celebrate with his family.
"Please continue to pray for Neria’s recovery, perhaps next Simchat Torah he will be able to rejoice together with his darling wife and children."