Rabbi Mendel Deitsch. Photo: Courtesy.

JNS.org – Rabbi Menachem Mendel Deitsch, who was badly beaten in a vicious attack and robbery in Ukraine last October, died April 15 from his wounds, Chabad announced Sunday.

He will be remembered for his efforts in strengthening Jewish life in France, Israel and the former Soviet Union.

After the attack, Deitsch, a Chabad-Lubavitch emissary in France and Israel, had emergency surgery in Zhitomir, Ukraine then was airlifted to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Ramat Gan, Israel  where he never regained consciousness.

Two men and two women from the Carpathian Mountains region attacked Deitsch, 64, on the night of Oct. 6 or in the early hours of Oct. 7, stole his cash and cellphone, and left him bleeding and unconscious under a bridge near the train station, according to local reports in Ukrainian media. Deitsch suffered multiple head injuries and brain trauma.

The four suspects, who returned to the city a week after the attack, were arrested by police. Deitsch is survived by his wife, Shterna Sara, and their 11 children, Chabad said.