Injured son of ambassador Leiter still unconscious but out of life-threatening danger, moved to rehabilitation

Neriyah Leiter, the son of Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, was moved to Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer for continued rehabilitation, over a month after he was critically injured in a car ramming attack while serving as an IDF reservist.

His parents thanked the medical teams at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem who saved his life and stabilized his condition, while requesting continued prayer for “a miracle that will bring Neriyah back into the arms of his family.”

His mother, Chani Leiter, told Ynet News on Thursday: “We move back and forth between pain and hope, but we also strengthen one another and have set ourselves the goal of remaining positive at all times.”

Shaare Zedek said in a statement that Neriyah is still “unconscious but breathing independently” and was transferred “for continued treatment in a neurological rehabilitation program for patients with head injuries.”

“During his hospitalization, Neria underwent several neurosurgical procedures and major orthopedic surgeries… Upon his discharge from Shaare Zedek, the teams who treated Neriyah and supported his family emphasized that the extraordinary strength of spirit demonstrated by the family was an inspiring example and a model for others. They said they hoped and prayed for Neriyah’s recovery.”

The Leiter family said that “Despite the transfer to rehabilitation, his condition remains complex, and the road to recovery is still long and challenging. Neriyah remains unconscious and will need to undergo several more surgeries.”

This week we marked the 3rd yahrzeit of my eldest son, Moshe Yedidyah. As we gathered around his grave on Mt. Herzl, I asked myself, yet again: how are we supposed to go on living without him? We mustn't give in to sadness. It only harms us, and closes us off from the world. Rather, I'd like to think that Moshe would encourage us to maintain a living memory of him. This living memory encourages us, in his spirit, to lead with responsibility, unity, and, most importantly - love. After all, this is how he would introduce himself to his soldiers: "Hello, I am Moshe. I love this country, and I love the IDF". Now, 3 years after we lost Moshe, I'm looking at words his brother, Neriyah, wrote, to express his love for the army Moshe held dear. Like Moshe, he spoke of the privilege of taking part in this great endeavor of defending the Jewish state. After Neriyah's injury, he arrived at the hospital without a pulse. It's even possible that he briefly visited his older brother, hanging between the heaven and the earth. And, as I was standing at Moshe's grave, I had to ask him for help. I asked him to amplify the prayers we send from here, and to plead with G-d to bring Neriyah back to us, and make him whole again. In the face of the murderous ideology that robbed me of one son, and nearly cost me another, we must do as Moshe would have done, were he still here: stand together, undivided, and fight for our country, which we love so dearly. Shabbat Shalom 🕯️🕯️

— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) November 6, 2026

Chani Leiter added that people who had experienced prolonged unconsciousness told her “it is very important to provide him with stimulation, talk to him, and do things that are beneficial for him. This is his hope and this is what matters. We stimulate him, play music for him, and give him massages even though he is still unconscious. We see progress.”

Neriyah is married and a father to four children. They live in the community of Havat Yair in Samaria. His mother continued, “The youngest child knows that his father is in the hospital, and each of the children understands according to their age. We are trying to keep them in their routine; they are receiving support. Of course, the family looks after us and brings us joy. This is a turbulent period, but we have one another and we help one another.”

Last week, the Leiter family marked three years since the oldest son, Major (res.) Moshe Yedidya Leiter, fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip. Writing on 𝕏, Yechiel Leiter said he had “asked myself, yet again: how are we supposed to go on living without him? We mustn't give in to sadness. It only harms us and closes us off from the world. Rather, I'd like to think that Moshe would encourage us to maintain a living memory of him. This living memory encourages us, in his spirit, to lead with responsibility, unity, and, most importantly - love.”

After Neriyah's injury, he arrived at the hospital without a pulse. Leirer wrote that "It's even possible that he briefly visited his older brother, hanging between the heaven and the earth."

"In the face of the murderous ideology that robbed me of one son, and nearly cost me another, we must do as Moshe would have done, were he still here: stand together, undivided, and fight for our country, which we love so dearly,” he wrote.

“It is truly difficult to move between the memorial service for Moshe Yedidya, may God avenge his blood, and Neria’s situation. After the memorial service at Mount Herzl, which was very dignified, we held a prayer gathering, and that gave us tremendous strength," Chani Leiter added.

“This is an opportunity to express our gratitude for the concern and care. What kind-hearted people we have around us. I see it everywhere and am grateful for it. This is one of the things that sustain me, just as everyone prayed and sang at the cemetery on Mount Herzl," she said.

She went on to say that she couldn't have survived without all the support surrounding that has surrounded their family and is grateful.

"I have to preserve my strength, and one of the things I have taken upon myself is to focus on the good in one another. This is what we ask of the people of Israel: to see the good, because that is what gives us strength," she concluded.