For terror victim Gabi Zada, much has transpired since he went to vote on Likud primary day, November 28, 2002. There was nothing unusual about the day and Gabi decided to exercise his civic duty and cast his ballot for the Likud Party lineup.
He arrived at the Beit Shean voting station at about 2:00PM, chatting with old friends and acquaintances. At about 3:00PM, to the best of his recollection, he saw a Mazda pull up and two Arabs got out of the vehicle. He reports that he does not remember seeing them with weapons.
Suddenly, shots rang out and hand grenades began exploding in the Likud polling station. When the smoke cleared, six people had been killed and many others wounded, approximately 40. The two terrorists were eliminated by an off duty policeman. It was later learned they arrived at the polling station, located near the city’s central bus station, in a stolen vehicle.
Gabi remembers the excruciating pain when bullets tore through his right leg, then his left. He was next hit in the pelvic and shoulder areas and that is all he remembers. He does not remember his forehead being blown open, taking six bullets to his body and passing out. He was almost left for dead on the scene but one of the emergency medical service personnel did discover a faint pulse.
It was some two months before Gabi emerged from his coma, and doctors were less than optimistic to say the least. After an entire year in the hospital, he began the painful three-year rehabilitation process.
Gabi also admits he does not remember but family members and his medical team recalls that when he opened his eyes, he asked for ice cream, and ice cream he received. He does recall the hospital kiosk managed to bring his favorite for him, and on one day shortly after awakening, he ate an entire carton of chocolate ice cream, his absolute favorite.
Today, he admits that prior to the attack, the 39-year-old father of four always dreamt of opening an ice cream sweet shop, fantasizing the pleasure of bringing smiles to peoples faces. Today, six years after the attack, his dream is becoming a reality with the grand opening of Uga Lida in Beit Shean, where he Gabi insists there is a sweet treat for anyone, at an affordable price, believing his mission is to make as many people smile as possible.
When asked what his favorite ice cream is, he unabashedly responded, “Nestle chocolate.” He went on to state that he does not need the nuts and other accompaniments that are introduced into ice cream today because for Gabi, adding anything would just dilute his favorite dish in the world.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
11 Responses
Baruch Hashem!
This is a very odd article, I wouldn’t really call it newsworthy.
Great story and I wish him much luck!
BYgirl,
NEWS means “N”orth, “E”ast, “W”est & “S”outh. In otherwords anything that happens in any of these directions is “NEWS”worthy. Therefore this enlightening story is definately “News”worthy!
Yissi
to #2 BYgirl
you need help,please see a good doctor real fast
chaim
If he would open an ice cream parlor on route 9,and give special discounts to bnei tora and baalei mishpochos……now that would be really newsworthy (especially if he would employ some of our home grown boys at risk keyn yirbu,to assist)
Chaim, I am not exactly sure what your issue is. I just expressed my opinion stating that in my eyes, the article is not newsworthy. Why do you have a problem with that? I am not asking you to agree with me..but to see a doctor?!?..your really random.
#5 –
Gut Gezugt!
to bygirls and rezman
why is chesed only for bnei Torah? Is this a new chumra? Only if a select group of yidden enjoy his chesed and by the way a smile is a chesed in and of itself. Mitzvah Gedola leyos b’simcha is for everybody! Instead of focusing on a man who suffered so much and is still happy and wants to make others happy, which is a big limud for everyone, you see only the negative. Usually people who are pessemistic really feel very badly about themselves on the inside and only reflecting their feeling of self worth on to other. Bkitzur I enjoyed this article very much, learned a mussar haskal from it and agree with #5
I wish him much luck with Uga Lida.
Nestle chocolate is delicious but maybe he never tried Haagen Daaz Butter Pecan. He might change his mind about adding nuts to ice cream.
#9 – I couldn’t have said it better myself.
#10 – we have the same question – However, I don’t quite think he meant to word it that way.
NOW – TO BYgirl – You DO have chutzpah problems. My daughters are also BYgirls – as was I – and we’d like to know where you get your attitude – We hope not from BY – whichever one you go or went to. This man suffered tremendously and is now working on making others happy. That’s not newsworthy???? Do you just want to hear about terrorist attacks and people being killed instead of a story like this where B”H he survived?
We wish him much Hatzlacha!!!