55-Year-Old Netivot Resident Collapses And Dies In Uman During Rosh Hashana Prayers

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A Hatzalah team in Uman, Ukraine, had to pronounce an Israeli citizen dead after he collapsed on Sunday afternoon during prayers in Uman.

The Israeli, R’ David Mirilashvili, a 55-year-old man from Netivot, collapsed in front of his children, who were next to him at the entrance to the tomb site of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov after Rosh Hashana afternoon prayers.

Breslov officials, along with Israeli Embassy officials, are working to fly his body back to Israel for burial.

Naftali Rabinowitz, the head of United Hatzalahs’ operations branch in Uman, said that  “On the second afternoon of the festival, we heard about a person who had collapsed and lost consciousness. A team of medics performed resuscitation efforts including electric shocks in an attempt to save his life but unfortunately they were forced to declare him dead.”

United Hatzalah reported responding to more than 1000 calls in Uman, with ambulances evacuating over 250 people requiring medical attention to the clinic near the entrance to the main shul of Breslov in Uman. An estimated 45,600 pilgrims were present in Uman during the course of Rosh Hashana, and will now travel by land to 12 different European airports for their return to their destinations.