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.

Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Will you support our work today?

, editor-in-chief

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT