William Kolbrener

Asaf Rejuwan, one of the Israeli survivors of flight 1073 wrote on Facebook: ״I don't usually post on social media, but today I felt something burning deep inside me that I simply had to share. Ever since the incident where the terrorist's attempt to hijack the Flydubai flight was thwarted, there has been a lot of coverage in the media, and I’ve been asked many times what factors I believe prevented the terrible disaster that could have befallen our people had that despicable terrorist succeeded in his plans. Today, I think I received a very special and interesting answer to that question. Naturally, after the incident ended and we landed safely on the Land of Israel, I felt the need to thank many people... the passengers who cooperated, my lioness of a wife and all the mothers and fathers who protected their loved ones, the children who stayed composed, and every Israeli passenger on that plane. Yesterday, I was part of a group of passengers interviewed for an international channel. As each passenger went into detail about how they experienced the flight, we realized something very important- something you only understand when the dust settles and you get into the small details during intimate conversations among yourselves. We realized that every single passenger on that flight had a role, every passenger on the flight had a role. One passenger was responsible for communicating with Israel's security services I discovered there was a passenger on board who provided a mobile hotspot and made sure to share it with others Another female passenger sat and recited Psalms A passenger made sure to pass along headphone cords to tie up the terrorist Passengers kept track of where we were going to land using GPS maps An Australian passenger was the only one on the plane who could make calls back to Israel from an enemy country (Saudi Arabia) And the list goes on... And, of course, the amazing Yaniv, the wonderful Tzvika and Tali, the hero Shota, the great man Or, and many other great friends who lent a hand. I had no doubt that after such a great miracle, I would be attending synagogue on Saturday morning to recite the Birkat HaGomel (the prayer of thanking the God of Israel after a lifesaving miracle) I am not a religious person. I believe in God in my own way, and I don't usually look for signs in everything. But today, something happened that completely astonished me. Completely by chance, today in the synagogue I read from Parashat Devarim (Deuteronomy 33:26): "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to help you, and in His majesty rides the skies." אֵין כָּאֵל יְשֻׁרוּן רֹכֵב שָׁמַיִם בְּעֶזְרֶךָ וּבְגַאֲוָתוֹ שְׁחָקִים I read the verse, stopped, and got goosebumps, and so did all the other worshippers who knew the story and understood why I was there with them. After everything that happened on that flight, after the fear, after the storming of the terrorist, and after realizing how thin the line between life and death really was- finding myself facing those exact words, "rides the heavens to help you," was a moment I can hardly explain. I don't know if it was divine providence, a coincidence, or simply a moment that took on a profoundly deep meaning for me. But today, in the synagogue, as I recited Birkat HaGomel, I felt mainly one thing: Thank you. Thank you for life. Thank you for the miracle. And thank you for the privilege to stand here and tell the story. Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱״