Poway Rabbi Who Lost Finger In Synagogue Shooting Gets Lifelike Prosthetic

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of Chabad of Poway speaks during the National Day of Prayer Service at the White House on May 2, 2019. Image by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
(JTA) — The rabbi who lost his finger in the April shooting attack on the Chabad of Poway in California has received a lifelike prosthetic finger.
The silicone prosthetic is meant to help his hand function properly and is removed for sleep.
Sam Heifetz, a third-generation prosthetist at Orthocraft Prosthetic and Orthotic Services in Brooklyn, created the High Definition Silicone Restoration or lifelike prosthesis for Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, COlLive reported.
He lost one index finger in the attack by alleged gunman, John Earnest, who shot with an assault rifle at close range.
“His lost finger during the horrific attack in his synagogue is a physical reminder of hate but his counterattack of inner strength, trust in God and bringing good to the world sheds light over and over,” Heifetz said, according to the news website.
One Poway Chabad member, Lori Kaye, was killed in the shooting attack on the last day of Passover, April 27. Three other members, including the rabbi, were shot.
After being shot, Goldstein ran to the social hall where congregants had gathered — as had several children, including his granddaughter — and he began waving them out of the building to safety.
“I just ran, not even knowing my fingers were blown off,” he said.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
News School Israel trip turns ‘terrifying’ for LA students attacked by Israeli teens
- 2
Culture Cardinals are Catholic, not Jewish — so why do they all wear yarmulkes?
- 3
Fast Forward Why the Antisemitism Awareness Act now has a religious liberty clause to protect ‘Jews killed Jesus’ statements
- 4
Music After decades of waiting, we’re finally getting a Bob Dylan-Barbra Streisand duet
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Trump administration condemns destructive pro-Palestinian protest at University of Washington
-
Opinion 80 years after Germany surrendered, we’re still learning the real lessons of World War II
-
News How a Holocaust denier turned antisemitism into a cryptocoin
-
Fast Forward Government reviewing visas of pro-Palestinian protesters who occupied Columbia library, after 75 arrests
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.