Hadassah’s 2019 Hanukkah Miracles: A Journey from Paralysis to Recovery

After his training for a combat unit in the Israel Defense Forces, the handsome, muscular soldier was the most fit he’d ever been. With ease, he ran up hills, carried heavy equipment, and aced weapons training. And then, suddenly, he had trouble walking. Paralysis spread throughout his body. Dvir Teitelbaum, age 21, was struck by Guillain-Barré syndrome, a neurological disorder in which the immune system attacks the nervous system.

An awful moment for Dvir was watching a mosquito feast on his arm and being unable to swat it away. At Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, his illness was treated, and then he began arduous rehabilitation at Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus, where he received physical, occupational, neurological, and psychological therapy to regain his strength and spirit.

“I got my life back at Hadassah’s hospitals,” says Dvir. “I never realized how important the work of Hadassah’s supporters is until I needed it. How wonderful it is that Hadassah is going to expand the rehabilitation center so more soldiers like me and civilians can be helped.”

The name Dvir means the innermost sanctum, the holy of holies, of the ancient Temple. Hanukkah marks the miracle of the Temple rededication.

“Last year, Dvir couldn’t even light a candle,” relates his mom Rachel Teitelbaum. “This week, we’re lighting our Hanukkah candles as a thanksgiving celebration of Dvir’s s recovery.”