By Aharon Loschak
22nd October 2020

The next morning, when hotel staff came by for room service, they were met with the horrific sight of a gentleman lying in a pool of blood on the floor.

When David Ginzberg fled from China to Cambodia back in February earlier this year to escape the quickly spreading coronavirus pandemic, he had no idea that matters would develop into the stuff of horror movies.

Ginzberg found his spot: Cambodia. As one of the few countries left with a border still open, relatively affordable flights to boot and familiarity from past business trips, Ginzberg soon found himself on a flight to Phnom Penh.

Touching down on Cambodian soil and making his way to a familiar hotel in the center of town, Ginzberg followed his usual protocol in Asian countries and got in touch with Rabbi Bentzion Butman, co-director with his wife, Mashie, of the Chabad Jewish Center in Phnom Penh.

The next morning, when hotel staff came by for room service, they were met with the horrific sight of a gentleman lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Familiar with Ginzberg from previous trips—and friends with him and his son on Facebook—the hotel manager communicated with Ginzberg’s son in the United States, acting quickly and calling for an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

The situation was so severe that at first, the ambulance didn’t even want to take him to the hospital. It was only after much cajoling from the people at the scene that Ginzberg was finally rushed to the local public hospital in Phnom Penh.

“I woke up in the ICU tied to a bed with tubes coming into me,” he recalls. Rapidly losing blood and with little resources in a country on the other side of the world, the situation seemed dire.

In a series of meetings, the hospital staff made it clear to Butman and Ginzberg’s son, Etan, who had arrived from the States, that he would need a medical airlift to Thailand for treatment. The cost of the airlift? $16,000. The cost of the hospital in Thailand? $50,000. All payable in advance.

Recalling the traumatic experience, he told Chabad.org, “People say when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. I had no such experience. Only excruciating pain and terror. And that’s where Rabbi Benzi really stepped in and saved my life.”

full.https://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo ... y-Life.htm

Why omit what kind of accident/health issue suddenly befell him? Leaves you wondering all through to the end.

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