The Miracle That Changed Yaakov Shwekey’s Life Forever

Just recently, Jewish singer Yaakov Shwekey moved thousands to tears when he opened up about a powerful childhood miracle he had never shared publicly before. “I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this story until now,” he said in a heartfelt interview for the Chanukah season—a time when we reflect on light shining through darkness.

Shwekey was only about eight years old when the event happened. He was spending a few months in France on a family vacation. Like most kids, he made friends quickly, picked up a little French, and spent his days outside riding bikes. But one day, something unexpected and frightening occurred—something he would remember for the rest of his life.

“I was sitting on my bike talking to a friend, when suddenly another kid—I'm not even sure if he was Jewish or not—crashed into me and pushed me into a dark alley beneath a big apartment building,” Shwekey recalls. Somehow, he ended up rolling down a steep hill at full speed, heading straight into darkness. “I tried to stop, but the brakes didn’t work. I was flying forward, and I felt like everything was out of control.”

As a young child, panic set in. He was terrified. “My thoughts were racing. I felt like my life could end in just a few seconds… I didn’t want to die. I wanted to live.” But instead of just fear, something deeper emerged from within him. “I said to Hashem (God), I’ll be a good boy—just please let me live.” And then—boom—he hit a wall head-first.

The next thing he remembers is waking up in the hospital. His head was split open, he had lost a lot of blood, and it was truly a miracle that the ambulance came in time. “Thank Hashem (thank God), after months of surgeries, stitches, and healing—I made it,” he says with quiet joy.

That near-death experience changed his life. It planted a deep sense of gratitude and purpose inside him. “I decided I wanted to sing to Hashem. To thank Him for the life He gave me,” he says.

From that moment on, music became his way of giving back—of making his life a gift to Hashem and to others. And this early experience also shapes the way he raises his children. “The biggest blessing I give my kids is that they should do things that Hashem would be proud of,” he explains. “Whatever you do, do it in a way that inspires others to say: I want to be like him—someone who brings joy to Hashem.”

He adds thoughtfully, “As a child, you don’t always understand these things, but I think the message was clear: Hashem wants us to enjoy life, but also to understand how precious every second is. Every day, every breath—it’s all a miracle.”