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Local Student Injured Studying in Israel
L O CAL
JESSE BERNSTEIN | JE STAFF
MENACHEM MENDEL
Strassberg, 14, who goes by
Memu, is “bright,” “energetic”
and “fun-seeking,” accord-
ing to Rabbi Mendy Levin,
principal of Cheder Chabad,
where Strassberg typically
attends school.

It’s those qualities that
make the reality of Strassberg’s
current situation all the
more cruel.

Strassberg, who is studying
abroad in Israel, was rushed to
a hospital on Jan. 17 after his
legs were crushed beneath a
large rock that he was climbing
upon. It became dislodged and
trapped his legs underneath.

He was taken to Hadassah Ein
Kerem Hospital.

“It’s just not him to be
stuck in bed and not running
around,” Levin said.

Strassberg’s parents, Rabbi
Eli Dovid Strassberg and
Rivkah “Rivky” Strassberg
have been updating friends and
community members on their
son’s situation via WhatsApp.

The Strassbergs are Chabad
emissaries, long active in the
Delaware County Chabad and
known for their Living Legacy
programs: They lead trips and
do demonstrations of the essen-
tials of Jewish life with local
Jews, setting up model matzah
baking factories and creat-
ing Shabbat candles together,
among other activities.

They could not leave to see
their son until after Shabbat,
but are with him now.

Though doctors were ini-
tially skeptical that Strassberg
would be able to keep his legs,
according to Levin, Strassberg
“is a real fighter,” in their
words; he became conscious
far earlier than expected, and
has reported being able to
feel sensation on the bottom
of his feet. As of Jan. 21, he
even has a pulse in both legs.

Though nothing is guaranteed,
Strassberg’s resilience has been
astounding to his doctors.

“The doctors told his par-
ents, if he’s gonna fight, then
we’re gonna fight,” according
to Rabbi Moshe Brennan of
Chabad of Penn Wynne, who
knows the Strassbergs.

“The doctor actually told
[Memu’s parents] — a nonreli-
gious Israeli doctor — he could tell
there were a lot of prayers going on
for this child,” Levin said.

Which is indeed the truth.

Students — Memu’s class-
NAME: ATTLEBORO RETIREMENT COMMUNITY; WIDTH: 5.5 IN; DEPTH:
5.5 IN; COLOR: BLACK PLUS ONE; AD NUMBER: 00082802
Menachem Mendel “Memu” Strassberg with tefillin on in his hospital bed
Photo provided
mates — at Cheder Chabad
have recited the entirety of
Tehillim six times over, Levin
said. (Neighborhood men and
women have done it more than
30 times since the accident.)
But of course, the number itself
is not the point.

“The important thing is
we’re praying for them and
really hoping to see miracles
and to see a full recovery,” he
said. “We believe in the power
of tefillah and especially the
tefillah of young children.”
In the meantime, Brennan,
alongside Rabbis Shraga
Sherman, Yossi
Kaplan and Yudi Shemtov, has put
together an online fund-
raiser for the Strassbergs
at themmstrasbergfund.

raisegiving.com. As of publi-
cation, almost $70,000 has been
raised already through dona-
8 JANUARY 24, 2019
JEWISH EXPONENT
tions from around the world.

“Our immediate reaction is
action,” said Sherman, refer-
ring to the fact that the fund-
raiser was set up within hours
of the news breaking. “These
kinds of situations can be very
taxing on a family emotionally,
but especially financially.”
There have been hopeful
reports during the last few
days, Levin said, but even as
the short-term crisis continues,
the community is thinking in
the long-term: health care bills
and other costs to be incurred
along with major injuries.

“God willing, everything
will go well, but whichever way
you look at this, there’s going
to be a great financial cost,”
Levin said. l
jbernstein@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0740
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM