Flydubai hero Asaf Rejwan: Why I had to bench Gomel

Asaf Rejwan, one of the Israelis who helped subdue the attacker during the extraordinary incident aboard the Flydubai flight, posted a personal account Sunday in which he shared an insight that, he said, crystallized for him only after the ordeal was over.

"I don't usually write on social media, but today I felt something burning inside me that I had to share with others," Rejwan wrote at the opening of the post. "Since the incident, stopping the terrorist from taking over the Flydubai flight, there's been a lot of talk in the media, and I've been asked many times what I think were the factors that prevented the terrible disaster."

Rejwan said that yesterday he took part in a group interview of passengers for an international channel, and as each passenger described how he experienced the flight, they understood something very important. "We realized that every passenger on the flight had a role," he explained.

Yaniv Chion at Ben Gurion Airport (Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

It turned out, he said, that one passenger was in charge of communication with Israel's security apparatus; another provided a mobile hotspot and made sure to pass it to other passengers; another woman sat and recited Tehillim; a passenger made sure to pass headphone wires to tie up the terrorist; passengers kept track of where they would land using a GPS map; and an Australian passenger was the only one on the plane who could make calls to Israel from an enemy state, Saudi Arabia.

"And of course the amazing Yaniv, the wonderful Zvika and Tali, Shota the powerhouse, Or the man, and other good friends who lent a hand," Rejwan added. As reported, the four Israeli heroes, Yaniv Hiyun, Dr. Shota Mosaiev, Zvika Manes and Asaf Rejwan, have been widely praised for their swift and determined action that prevented a major disaster.

Rejwan said he had no doubt that after this great miracle, he would show up Shabbos morning at shul to bench Gomel. "I'm not a religious person. I believe in Hashem in my own way, and I don't usually look for signs in everything. But today something happened that managed to amaze me," he wrote.

Completely by chance, Rejwan read today in shul from Parshas Devarim, chapter 33, verse 26: "There is none like the G-d of Yeshurun, Who rides through the heavens to your aid, and in His majesty through the skies." "I read the verse, stopped, and got chills, and with me all the other mispallelim who knew the story and heard why I was there with them," he described.

"After everything that happened on the flight, after the fear, after the charge, and after understanding how thin the line was between life and death, to find myself specifically in front of these words, 'Who rides through the heavens to your aid,' was a moment that's hard for me to explain," Rejwan wrote.

He added: "I don't know if it's hashgachah, coincidence, or simply a moment that took on especially deep meaning for me. But today, in shul, at bentching Gomel, I felt above all one thing: gratitude. Gratitude for life. Gratitude for the miracle. And gratitude for the privilege to stand here and tell about it."

Rejwan concluded the post with the words: "Am Yisrael Chai."

As reported, President Yitzchak Herzog spoke with the four heroes and informed them that he intends to recommend them for the "President's Award for Civilian Courage." United States President Donald Trump also released a personal video to Yaniv Hiyun in which he praised his bravery and promised that "he can be my personal plumber."