Excerpts from a NY Daily News article: An Army medic who served in Iraq became a hero in the stands at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday when he saved a Bronx rabbi’s wife choking on a piece of kosher London broil.
John Stone, 38, of Montville, Conn., sprang into action when he spotted Toby Weiss gagging about 15 rows in front of him in the section behind home plate.
“It was a very big scare. Toby’s life was saved by a man who really, for us, is a great hero,” said Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.
“There were a bunch of people around her and I thought they had it under control,” Stone told the Daily News. “But when I looked closer, it was evident they didn’t.
“Basically, I just went down there and told the guy working on her that I’m an Army medic,” said Stone, a staff sergeant with the Connecticut National Guard.
As the choking woman began to turn blue, the attention of fans turned from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to the rescuer in a Don Mattingly jersey performing the Heimlich maneuver in the stands.
“I stepped behind her, gave her about five or six abdominal thrusts and eventually she coughed up whatever she was choking on,” Stone said.
Toby Weiss was checked out at a Stadium first-aid station as a precaution and returned to her seat to thank Stone. “I said to him, ‘I’m a big Yankee fan, but I really didn’t want to die in Yankee Stadium,'” she said.
Rabbi Weiss said other people rushed to help his wife. “People tried very hard to do the Heimlich maneuver, but it just wasn’t working and it was getting desperate,” he said. “Suddenly this kind of Elijah figure appeared from nowhere. He knew exactly what to do.”
Following the scare, fans applauded, hugged and high-fived Stone on his way back up to his seat. Stone was at the Stadium with his brother Jamie, an Army infantry soldier on leave from duty in Afghanistan.
Word of the heroics quickly spread to Bombers’ honchos, who gave Stone gift bags and moved him, and his friends down to the first row of the Legends section, where seats normally go for about $1,250 each.
(Read More: NY Daily News / YWN-4705)
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30 Responses
WOW1 There are good people everywhere!
On the scorecard, who gets credit for the “save”?
A warning from above.
volvie –
Watch out, don’t be the Mishpat that you think you are, this is also a warning from above for you.
was she there with maharat? LOL
Could this have happened on account of his elevating another woman to a position of authority reserved for rabbis?
People don’t kill people. Meat kills people.
# 3 or a reward from above. If it were someone you liked you would call it a ness.
#4, unless G-d told you that, and you can prove the occurence of the prophecy keep you silliness to yourself.
If today were Purim, I would ask rabbi Weiss the following:
What is his preferred title for his wife:
Mrs., rebbitzen, rabbanit, maharat, or rabbah?
I have no respect for the idiotic comments. You call yourselves frum I feel bad for the children who come across these comments
Hard to believe some of these disgusting comments
(#3,5,6 & 7 in particular).
A woman almost dies and two guys decide they know why HKB”H does certain things, and two other people make a joke out of it.
I think these comments are some of the lowest I have ever read on this site. And there have been some really sick ones. Shame on all of you!
#8 you are right on…..
it hurts me to see mean spirited comments from allegedly frum people.
STOP POINTING FINGERS!!! (unless you’re pointing it at yourself) people die every day. people almost die every day. everything is a lesson for everyone. START LEARNING!!!
As a yungerman from Lkwd, i would like to give a yosher koach to #12. I think its horrible how evilness has crept into our frum society in the disguise of frumkeit. Like a famous chassidshe rebbe once said FRUM= F.eil R.ishus V.einig M.itzvos.
#11:
How would children come across these comments?
Children are forbidden to go on the internet.
What a great story! For all the stupid commentators, just remember it could g-d forbid have happened to you!
Now add nasty comment by #10.
#11 & #13 are right on the money….
Go Army!!!!
I am sure that Mrs. Weiss’s thanks and admiration to the medic made a tremendous kiddush hashem. Hashem sends us opportunities everywhere to make a kiddush Hashem. What a wonderful thing that someone capitalized on the opportunity.
To those who made the comments about Maharat and Rabbi Weiss’s philosophy–Shut Up. Why don’t you read the article and change the name from Weiss to Goldberg, Rosen, Levy, or Cohen? It is a wonderful event who cares what the name of the victim was. She was saved and that is amazing.Give praise and thanks to the Ribono Shel Olam for showing us a neis.
although we can’t say with certainty what Hashem’s plan is, but we definitely hav e to look for meaning in every thing, certainly such a major and public occurrence is for a public message so #6 is right in asking??? let’s all fix up our issues and we should appreciate the Yad Hashem always
Is that “Rabba” Toby Weiss or just plain Ms. Toby Weiss? Either way B”H she’s ok. That being said I feel like there is something wrong with this picture in which a “prominent Rabbi” & his wife are at a baseball game eating london broil. It makes for a good argument against modern orthodoxy as to the hashpo’o such Rabbis, regardless of their hashkofo, are giving over to their flock.
mamush a neis she should be extremely thankful
to 21- nowhere does it say anything about Rabbi Avi Weiss being at the game. Also, if there is a kosher stand at yankee Stadium (I think there is) why can’t you eat from it?
Avi Weiss in NOT a RABBI!!
noone knows for sure why things happen.we no longer have neveim, but can someone tell me why at yankee stadium a spectator chokes but at citi field its the home team that chokes?
to #23 y is the issue always the same” well if its mutar then whats the problem”is that really the tora hashkofo? or does the tora hashkofo not matter so long as we can say “but they r good people
Boruch Hatoiv Vehamaitiv.
Kosher London broil? at yankee stadium? is there a mashgiach temidi there?
I don’t wanna judge, but gedoilim who I follow wouldn’t be in a matzav like this.
The next time Avi Weiss tries to change an acceptible trend in halacha/hashkafo just picture him for what he really is. No more than you or I.
I wouldn’t have the CHUTZPAH to do what he does because I am not a Gadol, and neither is he.
#23-
Where in the article does it say she bought the london broil at the game? Maybe she brought it from home?
In your rush to judgment (like many others here) you assume she bought it there.
And then you say “I don’t wanna judge, but…” Your whole post is one disgusting judgment.
According to you, Mrs. Weiss almost died (C”V) because of a decision her husband made. Who are you to have the CHUTZPAH to think you know why HKB”H does things?
Sorry- I menat to address #27.
#23, as always you are the voice of reason!
# 20, You are incorrect. # 6 has no right to “publicly” ask the question, especially to insinuate what HKB”H reasoning is. When something like this happens we need to quietly examine ourselves and if you see something with a neighbor then you are “quietly” mekayem “Hocheiach Tochiach” But do become a self professed prophet is shelo cderech HaToarh!