Terror can wound the body but the spirit is ever free — and if there was one thing that IDF veteran officer Uri Schechter know for certain, a united Israel is unconquerable.
Thus Schechter appealed to his fellow Israelis to help him raise enough money to build a new house for Tsippi Yacovian, a 38-year-old Israeli policewoman critically injured in the line of duty almost a year ago near the Flower Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem.
Yacovian, a long-time veteran on the force, was stabbed by an Arab terrorist while she was on patrol. The mother of two was rushed to nearby Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where doctors fought for her life. They won, but she paid a heavy price: the terrorist’s knife tore a main artery and severed her spinal cord as it slid between the C5 and C6 vertebrae.
After a miraculous survival thanks to the determined efforts of her doctors, she has now spent more than 270 days in the hospital, waiting to go home. Fortunately – thanks to Schechter and the Israeli spirit – that happy day will come much sooner than later.
Cognitively, Tsippi is unimpaired. Physically, her life is a major challenge. Medically, she’s cleared to go home – but not to the home she once lived in. Tsippi must continue outpatient rehabilitation and requires other daily support that cannot be accommodated in her present home.
Schechter, who got to know the disabled hero during her extensive rehabilitation, successfully organized a crowdfunding campaign to raise the NIS 1 million needed to build an accessible home for her and her family that must be located close to the hospital.
More than 3,800 people have donated to the campaign so far. It could be that Tsippi and her family may be able to celebrate the Jewish holidays together in a new home, after all.