In an interview, Hagai Levin of Israel described the impact of the injuries sustained by his son Adi, a member of the IDF Armored Corps, during the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans by an ISIS-inspired terrorist who murdered 14 people and wounded dozens of others. The terrorist, U.S. military veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar, died in a shootout with police.
“His state fluctuates, but I’m optimistic. I’ll bring my son home. His life will change—he’ll have metal rods in his arms and legs, an open head wound and part of his skull is missing,” Levin said.
“There are still injuries we’ll fully understand only in a month when we begin the head rehabilitation process. But he’ll return to us, and for that, we’re moving from the Golan Heights to Tel Aviv to be closer to Tel HaShomer Hospital,” Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, he said.
Adi remains bedridden, as does his friend and fellow IDF soldier Y. (who chooses to remain anonymous out of safety concerns). “I miss everyone terribly and am deeply grateful to the Jewish community here for their support,” Y. said.
Their visit to New Orleans was part of a three-month road trip that took them from Nebraska to Los Angeles, and then to Texas and Louisiana. They did not make it to their planned destination of Florida.
Having seen security camera video of the attack, Levin said the vehicle driven by Jabbar “hit Adi head-on, crushing his legs and head, dragging him along the road and pushing his friend to the side.”
While praising the hospital as operating at an “incredible standard” and saying that “we are receiving exceptional care,” Hagai said that “despite their travel insurance, a single day of hospitalization here costs roughly the equivalent of the entire annual budget of Israel’s health-care system combined. The expenses will exceed a million dollars.
“We are facing a long recovery ahead. He’s spent two weeks in the emergency room and will need several months in rehabilitation with complex surgeries. We won’t return to Israel before April,” Levin said.