Parents of Wounded Israeli Soldier Call Moderate Injuries Miraculous

The parents of an Israeli soldier injured Tuesday during anti-terror operations in the Gaza Strip are terming as miraculous their son’s relatively moderate injuries following a mine explosion.

Rabbi Yehuda Rubin, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Elon More, says that his son, paratrooper Nechemia Rubin, was clearing a house outside of Gaza City as part of Israel’s 18-day-old offensive against Hamas targets, dubbed Operation Cast Lead. He was standing next to his commander when the mine went off, sending shrapnel everywhere.

“He has burns on his face and arm, and they removed shrapnel from one of his eyes during surgery,” says the rabbi, who in addition to visiting his son at Beilinson Hospital, is making the rounds of the other injured soldiers with Rabbi Menachem Kutner, director of Chabad’s Terror Victims Project. “This is by far a huge miracle. His commander was critically wounded.

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“We don’t know what will happen with Nechemia’s eye,” he continues, “but may there only be more miracles for everyone, especially the commander.”

Nechemia Rubin’s bride of two months, Meital, and his mother Arlene are at his bedside.

His commander, Lt. Aharon Karov, was married two weeks ago.

The father, who has four other sons in the army, urges people to pray for the quick recovery of his son and all of Israel’s injured soldiers.

“We have faith in G-d,” says Rubin, “that everything will be better very soon.”

Nechemia Rubin’s name in Hebrew is Nechemia Sholom DovBer ben Arlene and Aharon Karov's name in Hebrew is Aharon Yehoshua ben Chaya Shoshana.