Israeli Paramedics Resuscitate 3-Year-Old Haredi Girl Choking on Grape in Jerusalem

A three-year-old girl from a Haredi family in the Ramat neighborhood of Jerusalem lost consciousness after choking on a grape during lunch on Tuesday afternoon. Emergency teams from United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom (MDA) were dispatched following a distress call reporting severe respiratory distress. Upon arrival, paramedics found the child without pulse or breathing and immediately began advanced resuscitation efforts to restore her breathing and prevent brain damage.

Paramedics, including Moshe Weiner, Ariel Ben David, and Moishe Adler, performed life-saving procedures while a paramedic successfully extracted the grape from her airway. After stabilizing her condition on-site, the girl was urgently transported by ambulance to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where she remains in serious condition, intubated and sedated.

MDA paramedics Eliyahu Shlomi, senior medic Yair Aba Shaul, and medic Yishai Ruben described the critical moments, emphasizing the swift response and use of advanced medical equipment to remove the obstruction and revive the child. The family has issued a heartfelt plea for public prayers for the girl's full recovery, invoking a traditional Jewish teaching about the power of communal prayer.

In parallel with medical efforts, United Hatzalah has reiterated safety guidelines to parents and caregivers, warning about the choking hazards of round foods like grapes for young children. They advise cutting grapes lengthwise into small pieces and teaching children to chew thoroughly before swallowing to prevent airway blockage.

The incident has prompted widespread prayers within the Jerusalem Haredi community, particularly in Ramat, for the girl's health and recovery.