U.S. teen hurt in Tel Aviv blast wakes up
Daniel Wultz, critically wounded in suicide bombing last week, opens eyes in Tel Aviv hospital
Wultz, a Miami resident, was visiting in Israel in order to celebrate the Pesach holiday with the family of his father, Tuly, who was also lightly injured in the attack.
Praying for Daniel in Miani (Photo: AP)
Wultz's family members were standing around his bed singing "Hava Nagila" when he opened his eyes.
Following the blast, Wultz's condition remained grave and he stayed at the intensive care unit after sustaining what was defined as a multi-system injuries and suffering massive blood loss.
Sources at the hospital stressed Tuesday that despite the improvement in Wultz's condition, and the fact he opened his eyes and is responding to his surrounding, his condition remains critical and life-threatening.
Apart from his parents, Tuly and Sheryl, Daniel's sister, grandfather, grandmother and his rabbi are all constantly at his bedside after they arrived especially from Miami. His family requested that people continue to pray for his recovery.
Another eight bombing victims are currently hospitalized at the Sourasky Medical Center, one in serious condition and the rest in moderate condition. Nine people were killed in the blast last week.
Praying for Daniel
Daniel Wultz's struggle for life generated an exchange of tens of thousands e-mails worldwide calling on people to pray for him. Author Naomi Ragen, who also took part in the effort, told Ynet of the online chain of prayers: "I'm very active on the Internet and have some 10,000 email addresses of people. Each of these people is connected with other people, so I end up being in touch with tens of thousands."
"I received an e-mail from someone in Detroit who got a message from a Miami resident called Amy who requested on behalf of Daniel's father that people hold prayers for him. I forwarded the message and the next day I was informed by Amy that hundreds and even thousands of people sent e-mails with words of support. I also received thousands of messages from people who wished to express their support for the family. I am so happy to hear that he opened his eyes," she said.
Ragen herself survived the terror attack at the Park Hotel in Netanya in Passover 2002, when she was staying there with her family. "There is a kind of horror you experience when you are in a suicide bombing with your child. I really feel for this family," she said.
On Monday, the David Posnack Hebrew Day School in Plantation, Fla., where 10th-grader Daniel has been a student since elementary school, held a special prayer service for him.
Rachel Keller, the director of Judaic studies at the school, said, "Daniel is a most remarkable young man. He is a person of great moral convictions and has been a wonderful asset to our school." She described the Wultz family as "quite religious" and the school as a close-knit community.
