MIAMI – Residents of Aventura’s Jewish community have been uniting in prayer each night outside a local hospital after a two year old local girl was found at the bottom of the family pool this past weekend.
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Local 10 Miami (bit.ly/4aN00Ly) reported that Leini Ezra was rushed to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood on Saturday morning. Officials said that the toddler had been in the water for several minutes when she was found and she remains on life support.
Leini’s father, Shlomie Ezra, has taken to Facebook with heartrending pleas asking people to pray for his little girl. Videos show hundreds of people gather outside the hospital each night praying for her recovery.
It has been a diverse group, some wearing shorts and t-shirts, while thers have arrived in black suits and black hats. All have been beseeching G-d for a miracle in a single voice outside the hospital.
Speaking in Hebrew in his social media videos, Ezra expresses his unshakeable belief that G-d will not forsake Leini. In his most recent video, a tallis-clad Ezra calls on viewers to pray and to do good deeds on his daughter’s behalf.
“Your prayers are what gives us strength, and I am sure, I have no doubt, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu will make a big miracle for me,” said Ezra, the well known owner of Aventura’s Soho Asian Bar & Grill “Only prayers, only prayers, will help and G-d will answer. The doctors are only flesh and blood but I know with complete faith, I believe with complete faith that there is no one like Him. There is no one like Him. There is no one like Him.”
Several videos posted to social media shows a tearful Ezra and his wife praying at Leini’s bedside in recent days, the sound of beeping monitors in the background. In another, Ezra beseeches G-d to perform a miracle for Leini, who he calls “the oxygen of our house.” The tearful litany continued with Ezra asking G-d to give the credit for everything he has done in his life to Leini, saying that everything he will do in the future will also be in her merit. He called on people everywhere to pray for a complete recovery for Heleni Orna bas Chen Chana.
Messages of support flooded Facebook, with a worldwide netilas yadayim – hand washing – campaign in support of the girl, whose Jewish name Heleni is a Hebrew acronym for “today, hand washing should bring healing.”
I have taken on growing a full beard vs shaving for this poor girl. I am not sure if is taking on a new mitzvah per se but it was something I could tangibly do quickly and easily. May she have a complete and speedy recovery .