The rabbi is also a volunteer emergency medical technician for United Hatzalah and found himself being called upon to save a life.
By United With Israel Staff
United Hatzalah is a first-responder organization known for its efforts to save lives and provide emergency medical attention. Chabad rabbis are renown for their work to save the spiritual lives of Jews around the world.
On Tuesday, those two worlds came together.
Chabad Rabbi Menachem Bakush is posted in Manali, a high-altitude Himalayan resort town in India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state.
The rabbi is also a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) for United Hatzalah and found himself being called upon to save the life of a local Indian man who had nearly drowned in the nearby village of Majach.
Rabbi Bakush keeps a fully stocked medical kit from United Hatzalah with him wherever he goes.
The fact that he ensures that he is always equipped to deal with an emergency allowed him to rush to Majach village and begin performing CPR on the young man, says the organization.
After making an intense effort to resuscitate the man, Bakush was ultimately successful in restoring the patient’s pulse, according to the United Hatzalah statement. The man was revived while still on the scene, even as they waited for transportation to take him to receive additional medical treatment, it said.
“I often get called by local people here in Manali or neighboring villages to assist when medical emergencies occur,” said the rabbi.
“My mission is to help others, and that is exactly what I am doing,” the rabbi and first responder added. “Even though the incident was somewhat far from Manali, I went and I managed to save this man’s life, thank God.”
Rabbi Bakush has been the local Chabad emissary in Manali for the past five months. He and his family will be staying for another month before returning to Israel, said the statement.