By BBC and COLlive
Rabbi Yossi Zaklos was busy searching for Jews at the Boston Marathon when explosions were set off at the finish line, Monday.
Two people have been killed and dozens more injured. Footage showed bloodied runners and spectators being treated at the scene and the road strewn with debris.
“I saw the fire and the smoke,” says Rabbi Zaklos, who lives nearby in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Downtown Boston.
He said he was standing a block away from where the first blast went off at around 2:45 PM.
“I was speaking to people,” he recalls. “The mood was typical for American sport events; upbeat and cheerful. Then I heard this huge blast a half a block away from where I was standing. And then there was a second one, a block down on my right.”
“People are totally terrified, so I offered my assistance,” said Rabbi Zaklos who has also assisted in the Chabad Tsunami disaster relief activities in Phuket, Thailand.
“I met the police chief and offered my prayers. He was very thankful,” he said. “People were running into restaurants and buildings. I shared with them comforting words.”
Boston police said a third incident occurred at the city’s JFK Library and was under investigation.
VIDEO: Disturbing footage
In a TV address, President Barack Obama said those responsible would feel the “full weight of justice”.
“We don’t yet have all the answers,” he said. “We still do not know who did this or why.”
He said the government would increase security around the US “as necessary” but did not say whether the White House thought the incident was part of a larger plot.
Obama stopped short of calling the incident an act of terrorism.
A spokeswoman for Massachusetts General Hospital in the city told Reuters news agency that it was treating 19 victims of the explosions in its emergency room, but information about their condition was not immediately available.
Were so proud of you! Keep doing your.amazing work. Were glad to see your bh well and healthy! Keep making us proud.
A classmate
Dear Yossi,
Kol Hakavod! I’m proud I had you as a talmud, and happy that you and your mushpaim are safe.
Hatzlacha,
Rebby Wilansky
what’s the connection? what’s bush got 2 do with anything?
Yossi’s a great guy. Haven’t seen him in 10-15 years but he does what’s right and has great talent. So sad it happened but I’m sure many were comforted by his words.
soooo many things going on in the world that are really sad …. like toulouse and this and syria – everywehre – all while Obama is president……
these terror stories would have stopped a long time ago if the american govt and people got it!
this hate of americans and jews in particular is once again Arabs who have an agenda and a friend in the White House
you are 100% RIGHT
Thank goodness you were there to offer your prayers to the police chief… Don’t know what Boston would do without them.
say tehillim for all of the victims. they are innocent people who got hurt as well. they deserve our tefilos as well.
If you really think Bush has no heart, then you are the one with neither a heart nor a brain. How can anyone who paid attention think such a thing? Bush showed (and still shows) his heart in so many ways. He’s a real mentch, unlike you, whoever you are.
so many people excitedly running the marathon but so many injured and 2 passed away….HASHEM HOW MUCH MORE?
Bush would never have spoken from the heart, he doesn’t have one!!! Leaders of all countries read from a paper, they don’t know what to say!!! Their words are ALWAYS prepared for them by professional writers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Better to worry about the poor injured and dead people and their families instead of talking so stupid!!!!
Now Is time for netanyahu to tell obama to make peace with the terrorists! Why should Israel
be the only ones that need to?!
maybe in the merit of Rabbi Zaklos doing mivtza tefillin, more people were not killed
Obama is the ONLY person who doesn’t realize this was BY DEFINITION a terrorist act no matter who is responsible.
yes thank you some of us also read the article not just the comments
What a kiddush Lubavitch.! really brave to stick around when everyone else was running, to reach out and calm others.
Yossi zaklos ur amazing!
Bush would have spoken out from the heart! There’s a huge difference. And it actually bans brothers and sisters of America together.
Yasher Koach.
Always doing the Rebbe’s work on the front line and in in downtown Boston
was any jewish people hurt? any body needs tehillim said for them?
The Boston authorities have verified that the identification of a Saudi suspect is false.
there is a meeting taking place with about 30 shluchim from around boston. at shmuli posners chabad house. rabbi pruss called the meeting shortly after the blast. go shluchim!!!!!
in the title on your main page you wrote SHLIACH IS OK. i was so nervous before this page loaded to see that he is!
how tragic and sad
2 dead
to # 4
by the way it was a bomb
i was in boston at the time
That’s because this tragic story is not about us. Not everything is about chabad. Let’s say teffilah for the wounded and BDE for the 2 who did not make it.
so far 2 people were found dead and 80 injured there are a few people that lost their limbs, and there was a young women that lost her legs.
The New York Post is reporting that authorities have identified a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing.
The suspect — a Saudi national who suffered shrapnel wounds in the blast — is currently being guarded in a Boston hospital.
The library was not bombed… was an unrelated fire
Boston shliach yossi zaklos, was 50 meters away, helping people, put on teffilin!
its ironic how this site doesn’t mention anything about the amazing people who were putting Teffilin on people before and AFTER the explosion only a few meters away…
hope everyone will be ok