November 6, 2024 – Rabbi Shmulik Turkov, a 34-year-old Chabad emissary at Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Israel, has taken on a new role as a reservist officer. Balancing his spiritual mission with military duties, he began by assisting those wounded in last month’s attack on their Golani base.
In the photo: Rabbi Shmulik Turkov Photography: Rambam HCC
Rabbi Shmulik Turkov finished his Israeli Navy service and transitioned to become a spiritual guide at Rambam, where he has been serving for almost a decade. He and his wife began their service by organizing an annual Passover Seder. Living close to the hospital enabled expansion of their initiatives to support the hospital community round-the-clock. Turkov emphasizes that their connection to the hospital is constant, noting the late-night calls they receive for spiritual support. Initially focused on providing this support, their efforts have grown: they now also serve as hosts to two guest apartments.
In response to the outbreak of war on October 7, the hospital received an influx of wounded soldiers. To ease the burden on the hospital, Turkov relocated Shabbat meals hosted from his home to the hospital’s employee dining room, in which they hosted moving gatherings for the families of the injured. Turkov shares that the attendance ranged from 50 to 150 people, all united around the Shabbat table. This initiative prompted a formal invitation from R”M 2 (the registered IDF unit in which soldiers continue their military service if deemed unfit for regular service for medical or other reasons, within which framework medical treatment is received) for Turkov to become part of the unit to assist with the wounded. In preparation for his new duties, Turkov completed a six-week military rabbi officers' course.
Now, wearing his olive military uniform at the hospital, Turkov is dedicated to a dual mission: supporting both the spiritual and physical needs of the community. His reserve duties include handling religious aspects concerning the deceased and severely wounded.
Turkov describes his most challenging assignment to date, as part of those duties. It occurred this past October just before Sukkot, when a Hezbollah unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hit the dining room of a Golani training base outside of Haifa. Several of the severely injured soldiers were brought to Rambam’s Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein Z"L Shock Trauma Room following the attack.
Turkov shares that several soldiers arrived with very severe injuries and two were declared dead in the trauma room. Understanding the magnitude of the event, he asked someone else to manage the holiday meal where they were hosting over 100 guests at the Chabad house. Turkov will never forget working into the late hours of the night performing the heart wrenching work required collecting the blood remainder of the casualties in preparation for burial. He recalls that it was sacred work, but also emotionally challenging.
Rabbi Turkov’s commitment at Rambam exemplifies the convergence of spiritual duty and military service, highlighting his unwavering dedication to preserving the sanctity of live – body and soul – in these trying times.