Mordechai Molozhenov, a yeshiva student who was bludgeoned by
skinheads in Kiev five months ago and brought to Israel for
treatment in critical condition with little hope of recovery,
regained consciousness and is now scheduled to be discharged
from the Beit Levenstein Rehabilitation Hospital in
Raanana.
Molozhenov sustained severe head injuries in Av 5765 when he
was beaten by a group of skinheads while walking through an
underpass in the Ukrainian capital. Heads of the local
Jewish community contacted Prof. Philip Biderman of the
Intensive Care Unit at Ichilov Hospital, who flew to Kiev
with Dr. Solar, an expert in neurological intensive care at
Ichilov Hospital. The two physicians examined the patient and
determined that his life would be at risk if he remained at
the local hospital.
With the help of the Kiev Jewish community the patient was
flown to Israel using special equipment provided by Ezra
Lemarpeh. At the time his blood pressure was 50/40, which
would normally cancel out the option of flight, but the two
physicians determined that leaving him in Kiev would be
certain death, and therefore the risks were reasonable.
Dr. Biderman told Yated Ne'eman that the patient
arrived at Ichilov Hospital in very serious condition with
skull fractures, bleeding and brain edema and was considered
a "vegetable." As a result of his prolonged hospitalization
his condition was further complicated by a lung infection and
he had to be connected to respiratory equipment.
After several weeks Molozhenov's condition stabilized and he
was transferred to the hospital's Department of Internal
Medicine, where he began to open his eyes and make contact
with his family members. Eventually he was transferred to the
Beit Levenstein Rehabilitation Hospital in Raanana, where he
was treated until he fully recuperated.
Physicians at the respective hospitals called his recovery a
medical miracle.
