An emergency response team in Israel resuscitated an elderly man who was choking on a doughnut on Sunday evening, in what has been described as a “true Chanukah miracle.”

EMTs in the strictly orthodox city of Bnei Brak answered an emergency call on Sunday night, the first night of Chanukah, after the man collapsed in his own home, according to Yeshiva World News (YWN).

One of the paramedics, Tzvika Gedolovitz, told YWN that they had found the man, described as being in his 90s, in an unconscious state and “while we were taking an oral history we were told that he had choked on a sufganiya [doughnut].”

Ephraim Feldman, the head of the United Hatzalah paramedic organisation in the city, described the incident as “a true Chanukah miracle.

“The EMTs treated the man and performed CPR according to protocol. They succeeded in removing the blockage and saved this man’s life.

“The speed at which the volunteers responded and the quality of care they provided were the two things that mattered most. Our volunteers are always in service and are at the ready to assist anyone in need of medical assistance throughout the holiday.”

The man was described as being fully conscious and receiving treatment at the nearby Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.