Injured IDF fighter shares rehab story in 5T

IDF Major Or Maatuk recounted his rehabilitation journey after being severely injured fighting terrorists in the Gaza war. He spoke during an ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran event at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst on Aug. 14 where the Five Towns-Far Rockaway community turned out to honor five physical and occupational therapists from the community who volunteered to help injured IDF soldiers in the Negev.

Maatuk was critically injured when 70 pieces of shrapnel penetrated the left side of his body as he fought terrorists in the Kfar Aza kibbutz near the Gaza border.

For 12 years, Maatuk had been a leader of the Givati Brigade, which was responsible for combating terrorism in the Gaza strip. His unit responded to Kfar Aza on Oct. 7 with the only Israeli armored personnel carrier (called a namer) on site.

He spent 66 consecutive hours fighting off terrorists and rescuing Israelis from safe rooms.

“We eliminated more than 100 terrorists inside Kfar Azar, the terrorists were everywhere,” Maatuk said.

Maatuk’s upper body was sticking out of the namer when a rocket-propelled grenade was shot at his vehicle following 40 minutes of silence. The namer shot back at the RPG and it exploded on impact.

“I raised my upper left extremity to protect my face and hundreds of pieces of shrapnel fly right through me, wounding me severely in my left shoulder, abdominal area, and chest,” Maatuk said. “I fell back into the namer and I’m bleeding heavily.”

He was taken to Sheba Hospital in Ramat Gan where he needed blood, fluids, and serious operations to survive. His spleen was taken out. His diaphragm and pancreas were sewn up.

Maatuk was in an induced coma and on a respirator for 25 days, emerging from the coma when his wife played a recording of his 2-year-old daughter asking him to wake up.

He was transferred to the ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center where he “arrived weak, with poor endurance and I could barely walk,” he said. “My left arm could barely move, I had open wounds and lots of scar tissue which limited my range of motion.”

Due to the severity of his injuries, Maatuk received round the clock care and spent each day working towards getting stronger and improving his range of motion so he can return to the IDF.

“ADI Negev changed my life, I was there for eight long months, it was extremely hard physically and emotionally,” Maatuk said. “They gave me my life back.”

ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran is a 40-acre rehabilitation center for people living with and touched by disability. They have 170 residents and 190 special education students with multiple severe disabilities. It is also home to the Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center, which is the first and only rehabilitation hospital in southern Israel with 72 inpatient rehab beds.

The volunteers — physical therapists Daniel Aryeh of Woodmere and Moshe Richmond of Lawrence, occupational therapists Jesse Vogel of Far Rockaway and Sarah Yastrab of Woodmere, and physical therapist Robert Weinberg — spent time at the Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center with soldiers who were injured during the war with Hamas. Due to the war, regular staff was evacuated has have not yet returned, leaving ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran short-handed.

“People from the Five Towns sacrificed themselves, their family and vacation time and used it to go to Israel to help soldiers and others at ADI Negev,” said Dr. Shilo Kramer, director of orthopedic rehabilitation at Kaylie. “These are skills as physical and occupational therapists to treat patients from the Negev and provide high level training to other therapists in Israel.”

They were presented certificates and a pair of Shabbat candlesticks hand-made by the special needs residents at ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran.

“On behalf of the administration at ADI Negev, we would like to thank you for your unwavering dedication to the people of Israel and to our injured IDF soldiers,” Kramer said.

Vogel a 13-year member of the Rockaway Nassau Safety Patrol, said he felt compelled to do something after the Oct. 7 attack.

He heard about the volunteer opportunity at ADI Negev through the Emergency Volunteer Program, where they were getting OT and PTs from America credentials in Israel. They sent them to volunteer at a rehabilitation facility for two weeks.

“I immediately jumped at the chance once I got my wife’s seal of approval. I had no idea what I was in for, but I was excited and I couldn’t wait to hit the ground running.”

Vogel praised the amount of detail that went into building ADI Negev so that all aspects were disability accessible, “where our brothers and sisters can be treated with dignity instead of the usual ‘facade’ in a hospital,” Vogel said.

Those interested in volunteering  can reach out to the Emergency Volunteer Program to find out how to apply.