Rabbi Who Lost Legs in Syria Celebrates Birth of Sixth Child

by Motti Wilhelm – chabad.org

Just over seven months ago, Rabbi Liraz Zeira, a Chabad on Campus rabbi in Jerusalem, was fighting for his life in a hospital after being severely injured in combat in Syria. This week, he returned to a hospital under far happier circumstances: the birth of his sixth child.

Zeira, 42, serves as the Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to university campuses in Jerusalem’s Rechavya and Nachlaot neighborhoods. He also serves as an officer in the IDF reserves, where he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In September 2025, on the final day of a seven-month reserve deployment in Syria, Zeira was critically injured in an explosion near an IDF outpost. Doctors managed to save his life, but were unable to save his legs. Overnight, the rabbi known for his boundless energy became a double amputee.

As soon as he woke up, Zeira immediately adapted to, and even embraced, his new reality. Just days later, on the holiday of Sukkot, he was already making his way through the hospital corridors in his bed, assisted by family members, offering fellow patients and their families the chance to make a blessing on the lulav and etrog. Sitting in his hospital bed, he even managed to dance, waving his hands and what remained of his legs while singing a joyous Chassidic tune.

Still in the hospital six weeks later, from his bed he addressed thousands of his fellow Chabad emissaries gathered in New York for the International Conference of Chabad Emissaries. Through interviews and posts on social media, Zeira inspired people across Israel and the Diaspora by declaring “G‑d took my two feet, but He gave me wings!”

Through the long process of rehabilitation, he continued his work as a Chabad emissary, teaching students and offering them the opportunity to do another mitzvah. Just last week, a photo of Zeira, now fitted with prosthetics, helping a student don tefillin went viral on social media, serving as a powerful testament to his resilience and dedication to his mission to uplifting another Jew.

On Monday, Zeira announced that he and his wife Anat were blessed with a son, their sixth child. Standing in the hospital room, holding his newborn son, he recited the blessing of “hatov v’hametiv,” the blessing of thanksgiving recited at times of great joy, including the birth of a son.

“I wanted to share with all of you this wonderful gift that G‑d has granted us,” he said in a video message. “Thank you to all those who support us and assist us all the time in every possible way. Thank you to the entire Jewish people.”

Speaking with Chabad.org, Zeira described the birth of his son as another milestone in his journey of healing and recovery.

“In the midst of such a deep and life-altering period, we feel that there could be no greater healing and no greater form of recovery than this,” he said. “We thank G‑d for this tremendous gift, and pray that we merit to raise him to Torah, to marriage, and to a life of good deeds, surrounded by happiness and blessing.”

Zeira emphasized that he views the birth not only as a personal moment of joy, but as a message of hope for the Jewish people as a whole.

“Every new child that enters the world is not only a personal joy, but a celebration of a new Jewish soul brought into this world,” he said. “In this case especially, it is a powerful message of the enduring spirit of the Jewish people, of faith, and the ability to rise from pain to profound joy.

“May this moment of joy bring a sense of healing and comfort to all those who need it, especially to our heroic soldiers and to everyone currently undergoing healing and rehabilitation. May we always share in one another’s joys, and continue to bring more light and life into the world.”