"I Was Saved from a Terror Attack as an Infant, Now I Had the Merit to Save a Life"

When Shimon Levi entered Eliyahu Dahan's room at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, there weren't many dry eyes. Dahan, who had been severely injured in a stabbing attack just days earlier, raised his eyes to Shimon, who had been the guardian angel appearing at the right moment, pulling the knife from his back and managing to stop the bleeding.

Shimon hesitated for a moment at the entrance to the room, then approached the bed and gave Dahan a strong hug. Moments later, he took out his guitar, which he carries everywhere, and began to play the song "No Evil Descends from the Heavens" — a song he composed with singer Yaakov Shwekey, which had been accompanying him for months, especially after he himself survived a terror attack, now taking on such profound and chilling significance.

(Photo: Elisaf Cohen)

A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

Shimon's story begins about two decades ago, when at the age of six months, he was miraculously saved from one of the most severe attacks in Israel. The attack occurred on a Saturday night when a car bomb exploded near the 'Machane Yisrael' yeshiva, where two families were celebrating their sons' Bar Mitzvah. The results were devastating: ten civilians were killed, including six children.

Oren Levi, Shimon's father, was one of the organizers of that Shabbat. He himself was miraculously saved from the attack, but his wife was injured, and his son Shimon, then only six months old, was thrown into the air and landed on the sidewalk under the burning vehicle.

The picture of baby Shimon being held by rescue worker Bentzi Oiring became one of the most iconic images of that terrible era of attacks. Of course, Shimon remembers nothing from the event that saved his life, but throughout his childhood, his parents repeatedly told him the story of his miraculous rescue and how the rescue unit arrived and pulled him from under the burning vehicle.

"From that day, I and the rescuer became family," he says, "and there's not a day I don't thank Hashem and feel my life was given to me as a gift. Often, I pass through the area where the attack occurred and bless 'Blessed is He who performed a miracle for me in this place.' It's been over 20 years, but I can't forget and I keep asking Hashem what I can do to repay Him for all this goodness."

At the Right Moment, in the Right Place

However, recently his story took a special turn when on a Shabbat afternoon, a stabbing attack occurred at a playground in the Givat Hamivtar neighborhood in Jerusalem. Eliyahu Dahan was stabbed by a terrorist and severely injured; the attacker managed to escape, leaving Dahan wounded and bleeding.

Shimon Levi, who was coincidentally passing by with his wife and baby daughter at that time, recounts, "I saw with my own eyes the terrorist fleeing while shouting 'Allah Akbar,'" he recalls, "At first, I didn't quite understand what was happening, but as we continued walking, I discovered a young man collapsing on the ground, covered in blood." Shimon did not lose his composure but ran immediately to the injured person.

"I did what I knew had to be done," he says. "I helped him lay on the ground, removed my jacket, and placed it on his back to stop the bleeding. Since it was Shabbat, I had no mobile phone with me, so I couldn't call rescue forces; all I did was shout at the top of my lungs: 'Help, help!' After a few minutes, a Border Patrol vehicle passed by, followed by rescue forces who provided medical treatment."

Shimon notes that he was very anxious about the injured man's condition, and immediately after he was removed from the scene, he sought news of his wellbeing. "I heard he was severely hurt," he notes, "but I was explained that his condition is stable, and after a few days, I learned he was recovering and even wanted to meet me. I also wanted to meet him and tell him how much of a living miracle he is because I saw him at the moment he was stabbed, and it seemed there might not be anyone to save."

Everything Has a Purpose

Their meeting was an emotional one, bringing tears. When Shimon talks about it, his voice chokes. "We felt like we've been friends for many years, not that we had just met once," he says. "It was also an opportunity for me to understand what really happened, and Eliyahu told me he felt the stabbing but when he tried to pull the knife out of his back, he only felt the plastic handle, as the entire blade was lodged inside. He also mentioned he tried to run away and didn't even try to fight the terrorist, but he couldn't.

"Only then did I realize how much I had the privilege to save a life," he says, also noting, "There was divine assistance when I understood it was a real call for help because the initial cry wasn't loud, and I thought it was just children playing."

"I also completed the story for him from my perspective, explaining that when I arrived, I saw the plastic of the knife lying on the ground, as the blade had come apart from the handle. That's probably why the terrorist fled and didn't continue stabbing others. The terrorist also passed by the path where I was walking with my wife and baby but passed over us without harming us, simply because he didn't have a knife."

Shimon adds that the special meeting was some kind of closure for him. "Suddenly, I realized how Hashem arranges everything from above and how, as a survivor of a terror attack, I was given the merit to save another Jewish soul. I feel it's an enormous privilege to be an agent for such an event, and I'm so thankful to the Creator of the universe."

"I was given my life as a gift 20 years ago," he concludes, "and since then, I feel that I live by a miracle, constantly seeking my mission in the world. This is also why I make an effort to inspire and touch the Jewish people, hoping to reach as many Jews as possible through singing and music, as well as writing and composing songs. Now I understand that Hashem had prepared another purpose for me, that He wanted me to sanctify His name by saving a life. This is also why I am giving interviews and sharing my story, so people will understand the magnitude of divine supervision and know that 'No Evil Descends from the Heavens.' Everything has a purpose, a destination, and a goal."