A Word from Rabbi Schulman - 8/16/19

We can see lots of superheroes at the movies: Spiderman, Captain Marvel, Batman, and Wonder Woman to name just a few.

But we have our own genuine superhero right here at Temple Beth Torah. His name is Dilan Horwitz. He’s 12-years-old and stands less than 6 feet tall. Dilan doesn’t possess supernatural powers like flying nor does he combat villains. But he has a heart bigger than any hero on a movie screen.

In July 2018 Dilan was with his parents and brother on vacation in Croatia. He is highly allergic and suffered an episode of anaphylactic shock. His life literally hung in the balance for many days. Even if he survived, there were considerable doubts whether he would recover his mental and physical capabilities.

But thanks to the unshakeable faith of his parents, Steve and Anu, the extraordinary care he received from medical staff abroad and in the States, and the support of a village of family and friends, Dilan has made amazing progress.

His continuing recovery is also due to his tenacity, his will to get better, and his eagerness to return to school and to playing baseball – both activities in which he excelled.

Before the end of this past school year, Dilan returned to our Religious School. We were overjoyed that he was well enough to reconnect with his classmates and teachers and to reintegrate into our community.

News of Dilan’s remarkable progress recently has been shared with the public and so I received his parents’ permission to share his story with our congregation. Here is a video about him.

Dilan’s courage is truly inspiring. May he be blessed on his journey toward full recovery. He is a blessing to us for demonstrating the boundless capacity of the human spirit.