The Human Side of the Story

For the week ending 9 May 2009 / 14 Iyyar 5769

Saved by the Skin of Their Savior

by Rabbi Mendel Weinbach zt'l
Become a Supporter Library Library

There seems to be no end to the stories of how some people were saved from the tragedies that Islamic terror perpetrated in Israel and in the United States.

One that recently came to light concerns two young women from the States who were visiting Israel and stopped off at the Sbarro Restaurant in central Jerusalem. A saleswoman at the entrance advised them to return in an hour because the place was so crowded that they would not find a place to sit. When they later returned they discovered that the Sbarro had in the interim been the site of a terrorist bombing and that the woman who had saved their lives had been badly wounded. They visited her in the hospital and invited her to call upon them if she should ever be in need of medical help in the States.

As the victim of very serious burns, the woman was eventually advised by her doctors to travel to the States for plastic surgery. She recalled the offer of those two young women and informed them when she would be arriving. Before rushing to the airport to welcome her they debated whether to recommend a hospital in the New York area where they lived and worked or a more prestigious one in relatively distant Baltimore. They finally decided to take off a day from work in order to accompany her to Baltimore.

That day was September 11, 2001 and the office in which they would have been working that day was completely destroyed.

© 1995-2024 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved.

Articles may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue or school newsletters. Hardcopy or electronic. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission in advance at ohr@ohr.edu and credit for the source as Ohr Somayach Institutions www.ohr.edu

« Back to The Human Side of the Story

Ohr Somayach International is a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation (letter on file) EIN 13-3503155 and your donation is tax deductable.