770 Stabbing Victim Released from Hospital

The Crown Heights community celebrated its own Chanukah miracle as Levi Rosenblatt, who was stabbed in Chabad-Lubavitch’s headquarters only nine days earlier, was released from the hospital.

Upon his release, Rosenblatt expressed his gratitude to Hashem as well as to Hatzolah, the police, and hospital staff. He made a special note of appreciation to “friends who stayed with me around the clock … [and] family who came from Israel to be with me,” as well as the many Yidden who davened for his recovery.

Rosenblatt, 22, a resident of Beitar, had been studying at Chabad’s famed 770 Eastern Parkway center. He was stabbed in the head by Calvin Peters, a deranged man, on December 9, shortly before 2 a.m., when the latter entered one of the batei medrash brandishing a knife. After a brief standoff, the perpetrator lunged at police who had come to the scene, after which he was shot and killed by one of the officers.

Initially, Rosenblatt’s condition was reported as stable, but serious. Due to the complicated nature of the injury, he was transferred from Kings County Hospital to Bellevue for surgery.

“Mr. Rosenblatt suffered a knife injury to the blood vessels in an extremely sensitive area of his brain,” hospital Chief of Neurosurgery Dr. Paul Huang said in a press release. “Because of the resources available to us, as well as the experience and expertise of the nurses and physicians at Bellevue Hospital, we were able to deliver a very sophisticated level of care to this patient. He underwent a procedure to repair two blood vessels, which was successful. He has had an amazing recovery.”

This article appeared in print on page 1 of the December 19th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.