Designer Yocheved Kogan Survived a Fatal Accident: "I Thank Hashem for Everything"

The designer of luxurious bridal gowns, Yocheved Kogan, has built her modest gown empire with her own hands. She has brought joy to many brides on their most important day — each gown carrying a unique story, a world of its own. However, the event on 9.12.12 is something Kogan will never forget. On the first night of Chanukah, while traveling from Ashdod to Bnei Brak to dress a bride, she had a fatal car accident. After nearly returning her soul to her Creator, Kogan (46) thanks Hashem every day for the miracles He performed for her. "I am actually very happy to feel the pains I am feeling now," she bravely says, "this is my 'I have set Hashem always before me'."

Yocheved Kogan. Thanks to Hashem

Kogan is a convert who immigrated from Uzbekistan to Israel 21 years ago with her young son. She began studying fashion design at the Shenkar College, while working in low-paying jobs. "It was very tough for me economically during that time," she recalls, "I planned to leave for the United States, feeling I had nothing here, and that in other countries I could support my family with dignity, without doing such hard jobs. But Hashem had a different plan for me. Slowly, things started to improve — I began studying fashion design at the Shenkar College, and gradually felt like I was getting back on my feet. One day, I noticed an ad in the newspaper about a Torah class in Russian in Rehovot, and decided to go. For a while, I made sure to attend the class and there, for the first time in my life, I understood what it meant that I was the daughter of a non-Jewish mother. A few months later, I decided to convert."

After a long learning process and many difficulties, Kogan became an inseparable part of the Jewish people. "I came out of the mikveh immersion," she recalls the emotional moment, "looked up to the sky and talked to Hashem. I told Him: 'Father, I have just been reborn. I have new parents — but what about my mother?' Thinking of my mother, I felt an inexplicable pain. As if I had just lost my mother, not just spiritually. A week later, I realized the true nature of the tragedy when my dear mother actually passed away."

The days passed, and Kogan had to continue with her life. To comfort herself over the loss of her mother, she graduated with honors and built her modest bridal dress empire with her own hands. She has brought joy to many brides — each gown with its own story, each story touching and inspiring. However, the event on 9.12.12 is something Kogan will never forget.

A Huge Truck Coming Towards Me

On the first night of Chanukah, after a month of dedicated work on a beautiful dress for a bride from Bnei Brak, Kogan left her home in Ashdod, heading to the wedding venue to dress the bride. She took several dresses with her, placing them in the trunk, with the bride's gown on top. "I remember there was a very long traffic jam on the road I chose," she recalls that fateful day, "I decided to turn around and head back toward Ashkelon to take a different route. Before doing so, I pulled over, removed my seatbelt, and called the bride to update her on the situation. I simultaneously looked in the front mirror and saw a huge truck, probably veering off course, approaching me at high speed. My first instinct was to close my eyes, like small children do when they're very scared of something. I don't remember if I said the Shema, I only remember asking 'why,' and then feeling nothing."

The car after the accident. Saved by a miracle

The impact was so lethal that almost nothing remained of Kogan's vehicle. Bystanders quickly called emergency services and an ambulance. Kogan recounts that she was aware of everything happening around her and even heard one of the police officers telling the paramedics: 'She's definitely dead. No one can survive from that car.' She wanted to shout, to protest, to tell that officer that she was alive and he was wrong, but her voice betrayed her.

She was taken to the Kaplan Hospital in critical condition. "I heard the voices, couldn't move, felt my body was dead. But I couldn't understand how it could be. After all, I heard the people's conversations. At some point, they began asking me if I could hear. I couldn't nod my head, couldn't do anything, even though I heard. One woman whispered in my ear: 'If you hear, move your fingers, okay?' With extreme effort, I managed to move my fingers, and then everyone understood I was alive."

"The Bride Must Get Her Dress"

When she woke up from surgery, she saw her son sitting by her bed with his head down. "The first thing I thought about was the bride getting married today, waiting for her dress. I couldn't bear the thought of ruining her most important day because of me." Her son got involved in a special operation — to go to the police yard in Ashkelon (where the car was taken) to retrieve and deliver the dress to the bride. "I told him that in five minutes I am going, and I want to die knowing I made a Jewish daughter happy on her wedding day. At first, he refused, not wanting to leave me, but I insisted. Finally, after much pleading, he agreed."

When he reached the car, he realized the great miracle — his mother survived a fatal accident, coming out alive from a crushed car. Kogan: "My son told me: 'Mom, how many miracles were there for you? I opened the trunk and all the other dresses were torn, burned, dirtied. Only the bride's dress from Bnei Brak remained intact and clean, without a blemish. How could it be? It doesn't make sense.'"

The dress that survived the accident

After taking the dress, her son hurried to the hall, and the excited bride blessed her for a full recovery, and 500 guests responded 'Amen' with strong faith. At her mother's request, the son returned the next day to the police yard to gather personal belongings, but this time, an officer refused entry. The officer didn't believe him when he said he had entered the yard and retrieved the dress just the day before. The son left the place, but to this day, he ponders how he got in so easily on the wedding day but was turned away the next. What's certain is that many miracles surrounded Kogan's rescue story, which continues to this very day.

Divine intervention after divine intervention, everyone who knows the story closely can say that an unseen hand from above guided everything with precision, surprising not only Kogan but everyone around her.

One day, late at night, Kogan was lying in bed and suddenly felt like she was about to return her soul to her Creator, God forbid. Her family gathered around her in alarm, and an ambulance was called. "The ambulance arrived," she recalls that terrifying night, "after checking my blood pressure, the team quickly confirmed my feeling that things were not good, but their response didn't really comfort me. The gauge showed 200/140 — at this level, it's clear that a person is about to die, but of course, no one said that. They ultimately decided unanimously not to take any chances and leave me at home because moving me on the road could worsen the situation. After five minutes, I heard loud, fast knocks on the door. My relatives opened it and were surprised to find one of the ambulance crew members — with a religious appearance, his face sweating and filled with great excitement.

"He walked in and asked in a choked voice from excitement if I was Yocheved Kogan. When I replied that I was, he began to shout like one who was suddenly struck with madness: 'What a miracle! What a miracle! I was the one who rescued you from your car last week.' And then he raised his finger to the heavens and said: 'Hashem was there. He loves you, you stayed alive. It's a miracle. Few survive an impact like you went through, and you need to make a thanksgiving meal to Hashem and thank Him for this miracle.' He shouted so much that his team members were stunned and moved. After that, he insisted that I be taken to the hospital, despite the risk, and with Hashem's grace, we arrived safely for medical treatment."

Hashem Provided a Remedy Before the Blow

As a result of the accident, Kogan suffers from various injuries, some more painful than others. For instance, one shoulder was dislocated and other organs were damaged. She's undergone surgery, yet she suffers from 68% disability, which deprives her of the ability to do the simplest things. "I know I will not return to 100% functionality, but I am happy about it. As strange as it may sound, I am actually very happy to feel the pains I feel now. Why? Because it reminds me at every moment of the truth. This is my 'I have set Hashem always before me.' There are people who tattoo their bodies to remember important things; I have been blessed to remember Hashem without a tattoo. With the miracles I experienced, all I want to engrave in my memory now is Hashem's goodness that He does with me, which I didn't fully appreciate when I was healthy.

"Hashem decreed that I had to go through this accident, but not before he provided the exact and proper emissaries to aid me. Some lift my spirits, while others physically help me. Is it not a miracle that the person who bought my house after the accident is a doctor? But not just any doctor, an angel whose faith is in his Torah, and when he heard I needed injections, each costing 300 shekels, he insisted on providing them to me for free. Of course, I did not agree, but the price I pay today, I cannot mention due to embarrassment. Sometimes, all a person in my situation needs is that friendly face and willingness to help — much more than financial assistance. Knowing there's someone who truly cares about what you're going through, who genuinely wants you to feel better, not out of personal interest but because it truly makes them happy to see the good in others. This is what I received, and this is what I wish to bestow upon others — this year, and every year."