Kiev attack victim hospitalized in Israel
Yeshiva student Aharon Alexander, who was assaulted on Passover Eve, undergoes surgery in Sourasky Medical Center after being flown on special medical flight. Head of Intensive Care Unit: He's condition is serious, but stable
Twenty-five-year-old yeshiva student Aharon Alexander, who was assaulted in Kiev on Friday and was flown to Israel for medical treatment on Wednesday, is suffering from head injury and cerebral hemorrhage, a medical official said. His condition remains serious, but stable.
Head of the Intensive Care Unit at Sourasky Medical Center Professor Patrick Sorkine said it was too early to predict his chances of recovery: "At this point we still don't know. We are praying and working to get him to wake up," he said.
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Alexander was attacked on Passover Eve after leaving a synagogue in the Ukrainian capital. He suffered head injury probably inflicted by a glass bottle that was smashed on his head, in what some are saying was an anti-Semitic attack
An emergency flight transporting Alexander to Israel left Kiev at 1 am on Wednesday. He was accompanied by ZAKA volunteers and a special medical team that flew in especially for the mission.
Alexander en-route to Sourasky Medical Center (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
"Alexander arrived in Israel unconscious, while suffering from serious injuries to his face, a fracture in his skull and bruises on his chest," Prof. Sorkine noted, adding that he had to undergo surgery due to a brain hemorrhage.
Prof. Sorkine also noted that the fractured skull testified to the magnitude of the blows he received during the attack.
"His blood pressure and pulse are completely stable, and for the time being we will continue to monitor his condition," he said.
ZAKA ambulance transporting Alexander (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Hoping for an indepth probe
As for the means used by the attackers, Prof. Sorkine said: "It seems that Alexander was attacked with more than just fists. The attackers most likely used much more than their hands. This is evident from the fractures."
Yoel Azman, the son of Kiev's chief rabbi, who accompanied Alexander on the flight, told Ynet: "As soon as we got here the doctors started treating him without wasting time. As for the incident, we still don’t know what happened, and are waiting for the police investigation."
Azman expressed hope that the police will conduct an indepth probe into the incident without whitewashing the facts. "This is a grave incident, but we are not afraid. We are celebrating our feast of freedom and will continue to hold our heads up proudly as Jews."
Yaakov Zilberman, director of the Jewish community in Kiev, told Ynet that security cameras captured Alexander leaving the synagogue on Passover eve while wearing a kippa. He was found the next day with head injuries probably inflicted by a glass bottle.
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