HANA KONIUCHOWSKY
EVEN A COMA COULDN’T STOP YAHWEH!
THE
TRUE TESTIMONY OF THE GLORIOUS SALVATION EXPERIENCE OF HANA KONIUCHOWSKY, A
JEWISH MOMMA!
Written by Rabbi/Brother Moshe Yoseph Koniuchowsky
with assistance from Rivka Koniuchowsky
Updated 12-26-99
I had a giant of a woman for a mom.
No, not in terms of weight, but certainly in terms of fortitude. Hana was
blessed with only one child. I was her only son and she raised me all by
herself, since my folks split when I was just at the tender age of three.
Hana worked as a bookkeeper and
office manager and labored up to 10 hours a day to make ends meet. She was a
Jewish woman, with a tremendous work ethic. She arrived from her native
Czechoslovakia to this country after W.W.II. Being a brilliant woman, she
quickly acquainted herself with both the English language and U.S. culture.
She was in great demand, rejecting
multiple job offers, to stay loyal to her boss Mr. Arnold Gumowitz of NY. She
also became so proficient that she ran Mr. Gumowitz’s entire company located
in the Empire State Building, in his absence. Hana was also fiercely American.
She loved this great nation with a passion. Not only did she have a passion for
our great country, she loved her adopted city, New York.
Hana glowed with joy and her
customary smile, as she basked in the fast pace of NY city. She made her home in
Jamaica, Queens. In the late 1960’s mom quickly learned to love the game of
baseball, which she learned herself. Being European, she had no one to explain
it to her, and I was too lazy. Hana developed a burning passion and loyalty to
her hometown New York Yankees. She became a combination plan season ticket
holder for about 14 years and religiously attended every Sunday baseball game at
Yankee Stadium on her Sunday schedule. Often when the Yankees would go on a road
trip to the west coast, she would stay awake until three am, listening to the
game on radio. I remember "schleping" on the subway with her (Hana
never learned how to drive), traveling long distances from Queens to the South
Bronx, to a terrible crime and poverty-ridden area, talking baseball during the
entire trip. But she didn’t worry about her safety in the worst area of NY,
always telling me that the crime danger was "all baloney." She simply
chose to believe the best about all people.
I can frankly and honestly say that
my mom never had a single enemy in the entire world. She loved human beings.
Genuinely. She had no prejudices, no bigotry, nothing. Just overwhelming
goodness. If she couldn’t say anything nice about someone, she would keep
quiet. She always rubbed people the "right way", with her love and
tolerance. Her laughter (what a laugh), her smile, her sincerity and
overwhelming loyalty were her strengths. Yes I am prejudiced in her favor, after
all she’s my mom. But there are many who could and would still vouch for my
description.
In about 1979 or 1980, it was
determined that my mother had diabetes. It was a very severe and advanced case.
It immediately affected her heart, blood circulation, kidneys and eyesight.
Twice she flew to Boston from NY to have leg bypass surgery on both legs. In
addition she had an amputation done on her big toe. Hana’s health was
declining with each passing year. It became worse and worse. Each day she would
shoot insulin in her weary body. Hana never complained. She would take around
five different medications daily just to keep her body alive. She just kept on
laughing and loving life. Through the better part of nine years during her bout
with diabetes, she continued to live life normally. She went to work daily, no
longer by subway but by a cab that her boss paid for. She rooted for her
Yankees, she enjoyed her only son and her family who loved her. Doctors would
constantly give her a poor bill of health but she made a habit of ignoring them.
She kept fighting doggedly to live her life normally. To be frank with you, she
was not the best of medical patients. The doctors told her again and again that
her heart was tremendously weak, along with failing kidney’s, yet through all
the pain and suffering, she kept her chin up, not dumping her problems on
others, not wishing as she would say "to become a burden to others".
In October of 1984 I got saved!!
Simply put, I accepted Yahshua the Jewish Moshiach as my personal Master
and Savior. Yahweh immediately called me into Jewish ministry and showed me that
full time Gospel work was and still is his will for my life. That is why I have
written this account just for you!
Throughout the later years of her
life, I would constantly witness my faith to my mom. I would leave tracts
(Gospel literature) in her shopping bags, on her desk, and in her mailbox. I
would call her up and a conversation would start on baseball and quickly turn to
Messiah Yahshua and the gift of salvation and eternal life. Actually, it wasn’t
much of a conversation, just a monologue. Countless times the click at the other
end of the line, would alert me to Hana’s feelings about this Yahshua fellow.
Many times she would say "enough already" or "I don’t want to
listen anymore "or "I believe in [Elohim], that’s the main
thing" or "I am a good person", etc., etc. We have all heard or
used these excuses as reasons for not falling to our knees to accept Yahweh’s
love and pardon of sin. In spite of my energized witnessing, this dear "non
religious" Jewish lady would not receive the so called "Christian
God".
As Hana Koniuchowsky's situation
deteriorated rapidly, my wife Rivka and I, would always ask Yahweh for Hana’s
salvation. My wife called up all our Messianic friends and requested prayer as
well. As Yahshua said "If you believe not that I Am, you will die in your
sin" (John 8:24).
Mom went out of Lenox Hill Hospital
every three months or so to try to do something to help her physical condition,
such as removing water from her lungs due to heart failure. Her diabetes was
killing her slowly but surely.
In March of 1989 she was gravely ill
in Lenox Hill Hospital. My wife Rivka, was pregnant with our child, Nina. We
quite frankly did not know if my mom would ever live to see her
granddaughter,who was due to be born on April 13, 1989. After my mom pestered
her doctor to order a release, he agreed to let her go home. He later told me
that most people would be admitted under the same conditions that she was
released. Yahweh’s hand was already at work. On April 13,1989 Nina was born.
Thanks to Yahshua our Master and His mercy and grace, mom was home and lived to
see her little 6 lb. 7 oz. granddaughter. The very next day we took her by
wheelchair to the hospital and she held little Nina in her hands. Baruch Hashem
Yahweh!! Glory to the Elohim of Israel.
In June very poor blood circulation
caused gangrene to erupt and spread on her left leg. Again she was hospitalized
knowing at best, that they were going to have to cut off her left leg. Upon
hearing this news the great fighter stopped fighting. She gave up. After nine
years the fearsome forceful zest to fight for life ceased. During that last week
in Deepdale Hospital in Little Neck, my mother was determined in her heart that
her leg would never come off. She didn’t wish to continue. Death was a far
better alternative to dear Hana. She was dying!
On the Friday before mom died,
Yahweh showed me that I needed to visit her twice, unlike my usual one visit per
day. My wife and I told her about Yahweh’s love, Yahshua and eternal life
(John 6:37, John 3:16, John 5:24). Just as I was about to leave the room, the
Ruach Hakodesh (Holy Spirit), told me to tell her that I loved her ten times and
I did that, as well as kissing her almost as many. I was being obedient to
Yahweh’s leading, but I had no idea just how close mom’s life actually was
to ending. Several years before my mother’s life on earth ended, Yahshua the
living resurrected Messiah of Israel, had showed me through the same Ruach
Hakodesh, that the way He had chosen for her to get saved from the penalty of
sin was on her future deathbed. I did not know the details or the circumstances,
only that it would surely occur. Long before she became ill, I had told my
mother that when she was on her deathbed, that if she remembered to call on the
name of Yahshua (Romans 10:13) she would be saved.
That Friday night I went home to
bed. The next morning at 9 a.m. the doctor called and told me that Hana was in
cardiac arrest. Miracle number one was that although her heart stopped and there
was no blood pressure, they were able to revive her. Hana couldn’t die just
yet. Yahweh was not through with her and He had not yet fulfilled the word He
had previously spoken to his servant. Mom was on an artificial respirator and in
a coma. How could she ask Yashua into her heart now?
I kept a vigil all day, that
Saturday. My wife and uncle came and went. Mom remained in a coma. I couldn’t
leave. By that night I began to hate Yahweh. I cursed Him. I lost all my faith.
I told Yahweh that I would never tell anyone about Yahshua again. I said,
"How can I tell people about heaven when my mom, who was such a warm,
compassionate, caring person, would wind up in hell because of original
sin?"
If Yahshua was real He would have
fulfilled 2 Peter 3:9. But Yahshua failed!. He was bogus! He was dead, not
resurrected! I was prepared to preach for the devil and renounce my faith to all
those whom I had previously confessed it. I was a nice Jewish boy anyway. The
missionaries had tricked me. My people were right all along. This Messiah was
all bubemisehs (fables). I pledged to myself that I would follow the traditional
rabbis, not the Bible. In my heart I was in complete and total rebellion against
my Creator.
I was feeling all this hatred and
bitterness because I was despairing for mom’s life. She was in a permanent
comatose state. I could not pray any more because I was so drained and confused.
I felt as if even prayer itself was a waste of time. As I sat in the hospital
grieving for my mom and angry at Yahweh, I fetched my Bible to see if there was
a scripture that I could at least comfort myself with, since Yahweh was too
unreliable to comfort me!
Even though I was so angry at
Yahweh, He still reached out to bring peace to my hurt and broken heart. He gave
me Psalm 30:5 "Weeping endureth for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning". What in the world was I supposed to make of this? Did this mean
Yahweh would raise her up out of this coma? Or would He fulfill his word to me
concerning her salvation, spoken those years before? That Saturday night I had
no sleep. Early the next morning, I went back to the hospital and went into see
my mom. She just stared at the ceiling.
I began whispering in her ear.
"Mom. This is Moshe, your son. Do you hear me? Mom I know you hear
me!" I made one more attempt to tell her about Yahshua. "Listen. This
is very important I whispered. Don’t be afraid. Yahshua loves you. If you know
that, you’ll never die. Mom you’ll live forever! You’ll have eternal life!
Don’t you want to live forever? I know you do! Don’t be scared. Mom. If you
know Yahshua loves you, squeeze my hand!"
Just then, her eyes moved from
staring at the ceiling to mine. She made eye contact with me for a split second
and squeezed my hand! Then I asked her to squeeze my hand again, just to make
sure that I wasn’t imagining things. She did and made eye contact again by
rolling her eyes toward me. All in all she squeezed my hand and looked at me
about eight times. Praise to YHWH. Hallelu Yah!! Glory, glory, glory. Mom got
saved! This was her only response to anyone during a twenty-eighth our coma. The
doctor, my uncle and her boss all tried to get a response but failed.
Hana Koniuchowsky was saved. She was
Yahshua’s child. She never really died, since scripture teaches us that she
immediately left to enter the presence of Hashem, according to II Corinthians
5:8. Oh Yes, her body perished the way of all the earth. But not her eternal
soul. It is now in the presence of her Jewish Savior! Mom was born again! Life
in death! Victory over death, hell and the grave!. Triumph in coma! Sunday July
2, 1989, after mom squeezed my hand I looked at the clock on the wall. It read
10:35 AM. Yahweh is faithful and true. His word to me had been literally
fulfilled. The joy of salvation that came to mom and I , was literally in the
morning, just as Yahweh told me it would occur the previous night. "Weeping
endureth for the night, but joy cometh in the morning". Mom was home with
the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Looking back, I am convinced that
Hana was already saved, by the time I walked into her room on Sunday morning
July 2,1989. The squeezing of my hand was really for me! It was for my peace of
mind and my faith in Him. The squeezing situation was Yahweh’s way of
comforting and reassuring me of my mom’s soul being received by Yahshua. He
had truly given me a sign that He had revealed Himself to Hana as well as
fulfilling His promise to me! All in one amazing morning!!! From that day
forward I now had even more to tell others about in my ministry to Israel’s
children.
As a result of that day I am still
sharing the Gospel with you fifteen years later. I have not left the ministry.
My dear friend. Are you Jewish? Well, so am I and so was our dear friend Hana.
Did you know that our promised Messiah has come? No. Not the Christian god of
pagan celebrations such as Easter and Christmas. But the anointed King Of
Israel, who died on the tree for your sins? He is the resurrected Mashiach and
is ready to enter your life! Are you ready for Him? Did Yahweh promise you a
last chance on your deathbed? If He didn’t then you need to pay extra careful
attention. Yahshua is the one who came to the people of Israel. He is the one
who lived as the greatest Rabbi and chose twelve Jewish boys as His talmidim
(disciples). He is the one who taught his Jewish followers to celebrate all
Yahweh’s eternal Feasts such as Pesach, Shavuot, Yom Kippur and Yom Teruah. He
requires all His followers from both houses of Israel to be shomer Shabbat,
observant of the Shabbat. Does that describe your current belief system and
lifestyle? Or does that describe the Gospel you’ve heard? You need to pay even
closer attention, if you would like to join Hana and see her in heaven one day
soon.
Most paramount is the inescapable
fact that Yahshua is the only One who fulfilled the Scriptures of our Torah and
our Tanach. The following are just a few Scriptures that the traditional rabbis
don’t want you to read, lest your forsake their religion and find true
happiness in a personal relationship with Yahweh, outside of their control. Here
are some of the literally scores of fulfilled prophecies by Messiah
Yahshua our Master, to help and guide you in your new Messianic Nazarene Yisraelite faith.
All these can be found in any Tanach: Isaiah 53, Zechariah 9:9, Mica 5:2, Psalm
2, Psalm 22, Psalm 110, Proverbs 30:4, Deuteronomy 18:18, Hosea 3:4-5.,Daniel:
9:24-27, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Genesis 1:26, Zechariah 12:10-12,
Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 9:6-7, Psalm 16:10.
If you feel like you wish to be
stubborn and not take a few minutes to look up and study these Scriptures on
your own, please understand that in all probability you will spend eternity
separated from Yahweh, which the Bible calls hell. The Word of Yahweh is clear
about this! If you reject Yahweh’s Son, you will be required by Yahweh to
forfeit your own soul, which Yahweh Himself will cut off from His presence in
the highest heaven. Moshe Rabeinu, taught us this truth in Deuteronomy 18:18-19.
That is the cold hard truth! However the good news is that the Yahweh of Moshe
Rabainu sent His Son Yahshua to die for all your sins and make a way of escape
from eternal torment. Friend, whether you join our friend Hana in heaven is up
to you, not up to her, me or even Yahweh. He has already done all that He can by
sending Israel’s Mashiach.! He is waiting for your choice. Will you choose for
Him or against Him?
After looking up the Scriptures
above, do you feel that you really do need that inner peace that comes from a
relationship with the living Yahshua? Would you like to know that all of your
mistakes and sins are eternally forgiven? Then pray the following prayer in your
heart with me right now! Yahweh, I am a sinful person. You are holy. Forgive my
transgressions and my sins against You. Forgive me because of your precious
blood, that You spilled when your Son died on the tree of sacrifice for me, so
that I may live forever in your presence. I believe You left heaven and came to
earth and lived a perfect life because I couldn’t. I believe You were buried
and on the third day You rose again in fulfillment of Psalm 16:10. Living
Yahshua, enter my heart now and give me the gift of eternal life according to
your Word that cannot lie. Be my personal Savior. In Yahshua’s name I pray.
Amen.
Baruch Hashem Yahweh!! Welcome to
the family of Yahweh. If you have made this crucial decision for Yahshua our
Messiah and King, please drop us a short note, so that we can rejoice with
you. We will send you a free Bible with no strings attached, so that you can
commence your own study of Yahweh’s Word. We are also able and ready to give
you an immediate referral to a Messianic Nazarene Yisrael synagogue in your area, so that
you can begin to be discipled as a born again Israelite of Messiah, rather than
as a convert to modern paganized Hellenized Christianity. Please let us hear
from you today! Biblical spiritual guidance is available without charge. Shalom
Ubracah!
You may e-mail us at ravmoshe@bellsouth.net
or rabino@YourArmsToIsrael.org
or call us at (305) 868-8787. Our
snail mail address is Your Arms To Israel, 7378 W. Atlantic Blvd. #112, Margate,
Fl. 33063
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