Man chokes to death on Hanukkah doughnut, in 2nd such fatality this week

A man died Wednesday after choking on a Hanukkah doughnut in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, in the third choking incident and second death caused by the fried treats since the Jewish festival of lights began this week.

Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics who were called to the scene found the 67-year-old man unconscious, according to a statement.

The medics extracted the piece of the doughnut, or sufganiyah, and tried to resuscitate the man but were forced to declare him dead at the scene, MDA said.

On Monday, a 70-year-old man from the coastal city of Netanya also died after choking on the traditional treat. Hours later, a 61-year-old man from the southern town of Ofakim was hospitalized in serious condition after a similar incident. He remains unconscious and on a ventilator at Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center.

MDA in a statement warned that the oily jelly- or custard-filled sufganiyah, a popular snack during the eight-day Jewish festival of Hanukkah, can pose a choking hazard for children and the elderly.

It advised cutting the doughnut into smaller pieces and to be cautious while eating.

Hanukkah began on Sunday evening and will continue until December 26.