Survivor of attack reveals: "the tzitzit saved my life"

Yair Ben-Ezra, who was severely injured in the stabbing attack which took place last month in Ra'anana, sent a moving letter this week to the President of the Friendship Fund, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, in which he recounts the attack from his perspective and tells how the new tzitzit- which he pondered whether to wear that day, saved his life .

"My name is Ben Ezra Yair. On 10/13/2015 I was attacked and stabbed five stab wounds all over my body by a terrorist from East Jerusalem while I was waiting at the bus stop," he opens.

In his letter Ben Ezra recalls how on morning of the attack, which occurred a day before the wedding of his sister, he wondered whether to wear his new tzitzit, which he had purchased for the occasion. "In the morning of the attack, all my tzitziot hung on the clothesline to dry," says Ben-Ezra. "Only one new tzitizit that I kept folded in the closet, was waiting for me. But then came the evil inclination and told me: 'Nothing will happen if you don't wear it today, save it for the following day, for the wedding." In his letter Ben Ezra tells how misgivings nearly prevented him from wearing the tzitzit, until he decided that he was not ready to give up on wearing it. "I told myself, no! (...) I won't let the evil inclination dominate me, it's my personal protector ".

The takeover of the terrorist

Finally, "While I was stabbed and waiting for the paramedics," Ben-Ezra recounts, whose bravery and despite severe wounds was fighting the terrorist and thus saved the lives of more civilians, "the tztitzit that enveloped me helped the rescue forces as a tourniquet for my stab wounds..."

In his letter, Ben-Ezra thanks Rabbi Eckstein for the financial aid scholarship which the fund gives the victims of the current wave of terrorism and their families. "Rabbi Eckstein, I am moved to tears by the scholarship assistance that you have given me, which helped me and my family through these difficult times. Thank you for your life's work and activities of the Fund that you head," Ben Ezra concludes his letter.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!