Paramedic Shira Applebaum Continues Legacy of Her Father HY”D
In honor of Rachel Imenu’s yahrzeit this Shabbat, over a hundred thousand Jews will flock to Bethlehem to pray at Rachel’s Tomb.
And when they see the Torah Curtain, made out of a wedding dress that was never worn, those who are old enough to remember will be jolted by the memory of one of the most painful episodes in the history of Modern Israel: the suicide bombing 15 years ago at Cafe Hillel, which took the lives of Emergency Medicine Director, Dr. David Applebaum, and his 20-year-old daughter, Nava, the day before her wedding.
Last week, when I was with my son at Terem, Jerusalem’s Emergency Medical Clinic, which was founded by Dr. Applebaum, I noticed that the paramedic with the glowing, contagious smile examining my son had a nametag that read Shira Applebaum.
When I asked if she was connected to Dr. Applebaum, she told me that she is his daughter, Nava’s younger sister. Today a senior paramedic trained in emergency medicine.
Here is Shira’s moving story about her decision to follow in her illustrious father’s footsteps, and the terror attack that would change the course of her life forever…
