“That Coin Saved My Father’s Life”: Chili Tropper Shares a Personal Story of Faith and Kindness

Nearly five decades have passed, but for Knesset member Chili Tropper, the memory remains vivid—a moment of unexpected kindness that became a literal lifesaver.

In a heartfelt social media post, Tropper recounted an incredible story about his father and how one small mitzvah, the act of giving charity, protected him from a deadly terrorist attack.

“In the summer of 1975,” he wrote, “my father left his office on Havatzelet Street in central Jerusalem and headed toward the bank at Zion Square. As he stepped outside, a man approached him, extended his hand, and asked for tzedakah.”

In a hurry, his father hesitated, saying he’d help the man on his way back. But the stranger didn’t give up. He kept the conversation going until Tropper’s father finally reached into his pocket and gave him a donation.

“Just minutes later,” Tropper continued, “as my father made his way toward the square, a huge explosion shook the area. A terrorist had hidden a bomb in a refrigerator. Fifteen innocent people were killed. Dozens more were injured.”

Had he not stopped to give tzedakah, Tropper believes, his father would have been standing right in the blast zone.

“We always saw that man as Eliyahu HaNavi,” he shared. “That simple act of kindness—tzedakah—literally saved his life.”

Though the family embraced this idea with a touch of faith, Tropper also offered a more grounded reflection: “In a family like ours, which leans toward the rational, we also came to believe that any person can be Eliyahu HaNavi for someone else. Any one of us can be the person who changes another’s fate, just by showing up at the right moment.”

That theme of helping others has echoed throughout Tropper’s life. Just a few years ago, he made headlines for donating one of his kidneys to a complete stranger. “The kidney was accepted, baruch Hashem, and I’m going to meet the recipient this week,” he said after the surgery. “It hurts, I’m still recovering, but the feeling of giving… that’s the best cure for the pain.”

His older brother Avishai followed in his footsteps. Even after doctors postponed his first donation attempt due to a small tumor (which turned out benign), Avishai didn’t hesitate. “When I asked if he really had the strength to go through another surgery,” Chili recalled, “he just smiled and said, ‘It’s not like I planned on modeling with a flat belly. Someone’s waiting for a kidney—it’s a done deal.’”

These moments—quiet choices to help others—may seem small. But as Tropper’s story reminds us, they can carry the weight of eternity. A coin dropped into a palm. A kidney shared with a stranger. These are the acts that light up the world.