Saved from the Twin Towers: A Journey to Faith

Henry Fuerte was born in the United States to a Jewish family that was not religious. Although he studied biology, his professional path led him into technology and computers. Eventually, he worked for a major international company with offices in the Twin Towers in New York City.

“On that Tuesday,” Fuerte begins the story of his miraculous survival, “there were mayoral elections, and I was late for work. I was supposed to be at the office around 8 a.m., but I arrived at about 8:45. As I walked in, I saw my boss stepping out of the elevator to get coffee from the café downstairs. We exchanged smiles and said good morning.”

That moment turned out to be the last time Fuerte would ever see his boss. His manager was later found under the ruins of the caféhi and s body only recovered two months later.

Fuerte then entered the elevator that brought him to the Sky Lobby on the 78th floor. From there, he was planning to take another elevator to the 95th floor. But as soon as the elevator doors opened, there was a sudden, deafening explosion. Fuerte was thrown backward from the force. “I realized something was terribly wrong. I weigh 85 kilos, but I felt like a rag doll. I was thrown out of the elevator before the doors closed. It was like something inside me said, 'Get out now!'”

Covered in dust and in shock, he stood up. Along with a few others nearby, Fuerte tried to help people who were stuck in another elevator on the same floor. Despite their efforts, they couldn’t get the doors open. Finally, they gave up and began searching for a way out.

They ended up on a floor where the Hyundai company had offices and asked where the stairs were, but the people there continued working and asked them to leave. Fuerte and a few others, realizing the seriousness of the situation, found the emergency stairwell and started to descend.

“As we went down, we saw firefighters climbing up. We moved to the side for them. There were two lines on the stairwell, one of rescue workers going up, and one of people like me trying to escape down.”

During those moments, Fuerte was running on instinct. His back and knees hurt from the blast, but all he could focus on was getting out. At the same time, the second tower was also hit. When Fuerte finally reached the bottom, he ran toward the Brooklyn Bridge.

“Outside I saw police, FBI agents, fire and rescue crews. I turned around and saw the flames rising from the tower. That’s when I knew for certain, it was a terror attack. A few minutes later, I heard a woman scream. I looked back and saw the building collapsing. Smoke and dust filled the air.”

Trying to contact his family, he couldn’t get a call through. He met another Jewish man who had reached his wife by phone. Through him, Fuerte was able to send a message to his loved ones: “Tell them I’m alive.”

Shaken, Fuerte walked to a nearby hospital where he stayed for four hours. Apart from some minor cuts, smoke inhalation, and low oxygen levels in his blood, he was miraculously unharmed.

That same day, something stirred within him. “I started reading Tehillim (Psalms) that my aunt had given me months before, and I said my own personal prayers. While praying, I thought about Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, and I said to myself: I have to go there.”

Two days later, he returned to work and tried to carry on as if nothing had happened. But six months later, he began experiencing post-traumatic stress, anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, and nightmares. Still, what he kept asking himself was: “Why was I saved? I’m single. I have no children. Why me?”

Over 50,000 people worked in the Twin Towers. His company lost 256 employees, including 70 he personally knew. About 400 Jewish people died in the attack. “Eventually I realized it was all divine providence. Hashem spared me for a reason.”

That understanding pushed him to make aliyah (move to Israel). “It was hard for my family to understand why I left everything, a great job, my home, relatives. They thought I had lost my mind.” But his heart had found its place.

Shortly before his aliyah, Fuerte met the woman who would become his wife Michal, or Michelle. “I had dated many women. But the moment I mentioned Israel, most would run. Michal stayed.” After just four dates, he made the move. Michal came to Israel for a wedding soon after, and ended up staying for four months. When she returned to the U.S., Henry followed with a ring and proposed.

They married in August 2006. “That’s another miracle,” says Fuerte. “I got married at 35, after all I’d been through. It’s not easy finding a Jewish spouse in America. People take that for granted, but I don’t. To me, it’s a miracle.”

Today, Henry, Michal, and their two children, Maayan and Gabriel live in Modi’in. He keeps Torah and mitzvot, and thanks Hashem every day.

“I used to earn well and live comfortably, but something always felt empty. I was searching for meaning. Once I chose to strengthen my faith, everything fell into place. I made aliyah. I found my wife. I found a great job in tech. I have a home, children, parnassah (livelihood). I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. I made an effort and Hashem met me halfway. If you trust Him, the salvation comes faster than you can imagine.”