A Palestinian man has paid tribute to a British Jewish woman killed in a terror attack last month, after her kidney saved his life.
Arab carpenter Abu Radia, 38, yesterday met Lucy Dee’s rabbi husband Leo, and thanked him for the extraordinary gift of love.
In gratitude, he gave Leo – who also lost two daughters in the attack – a plaque with the powerful message: “If you save one life it’s as if you’ve saved the world.”
And Leo gave him a framed blessing for “good health and a good life” in Hebrew and Arabic. The two men also hugged in an emotional embrace.
When Lucy was killed by two militant terrorists from Hamas on April 7, Abu Radia had been given barely a month to live. But then Leo, 52, gave permission for 48-year-old Lucy’s organs to be available for transplant.
The carpenter was asked by the rabbi if he minded, or if it was considered negative in his society, having a Jewish body part inside him. Abu Radia replied softly: “We are all human beings.”
He told the Mirror: “I’d have died without this kidney. I cannot thank Rabbi Dee enough. He’s saved my life.”
Leo said: “This is what Lucy would have wanted. Her kidney is a sign of peace and reconciliation.”
Lucy and her daughters Maia, 20, and 15-year-old Rina were shot dead in Israel by the terrorists. But five of Lucy’s organs were used to save the lives of others. Leo went to Abu Radia’s home in central Israel to see him. When he knocked on the door he was not sure if he would be welcome.
He told him: “The fact that you are alive is a miracle for us. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Part of my late wife is inside you and it gives our family great comfort to know she continues to do good.
“And you being an Arab and a Muslim is especially wonderful, as she did so much for reconciliation.
“It’s a blessing to see you looking so well in your own house. I’ve sadly lost two daughters and my wife but the fact you’re alive because of them – you continuing to live – is a real miracle.”
Later, Leo said: “I had been warned not to come to see Abu Radia by some people. They said it was impossible to visit him while there was fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza. I was delighted and relieved that he invited me.”
Abu Radia suffered kidney failure five years ago and was on dialysis four days a week.
He was able to see his baby, born last week, for the first time since his transplant and introduced Leo to the child.
And referring to the organ harvest, ex-investment consultant Leo, who had been based in North London, added: “A couple of weeks ago, my family and I did hear the heart my wife had donated, beating inside another woman’s body.”
Grateful Lital Valenci, a 51-year-old mother of two, met Leo after her successful transplant surgery.
