The Injured from Tel Aviv: "It Was an Attack, Hashem Protected Me Because of the Synagogue"

Initially, it seemed like a "regular" traffic accident: Gilad Tanaami, a young Tel Aviv resident, was with his motorcycle near the synagogue in the Florentin neighborhood, when suddenly a private vehicle appeared, collided with them, and continued to drive for another 40 meters before stopping. Gilad was thrown into the air and moderately injured; he was taken to the hospital, yet all along the way, he cried out one thing: "It is an attack, catch the terrorist!"

In a conversation we have with him this week, he recalls with a trembling voice what happened that day: "It happened on Thursday, around two-thirty in the afternoon. I reached the Florentin neighborhood where I live and stopped by the 'Ahavat Chesed' synagogue, where I met a friend standing with the rabbi outside the synagogue. I spoke with them; they told me that these days they are involved in renovating the synagogue and asked if I would like to help with the task. Blessed is Hashem, I have been a baal teshuva for the past eight years, and I strive to help with everything possible to promote Judaism. As a result, our conversation extended, and my friend took me around the synagogue to show me exactly the condition that requires renovation, and we continued to the alley leading to the road. During the conversation, I leaned on the motorcycle, and suddenly I saw a car rushing directly to the place where we were. Not only did he not try to stop, he even accelerated, which made it clear to me it was an attack. I also noticed the terrorist and knew that only a miracle could save me."

What goes through your mind at such a moment?

"I thought that I must try to move to the side, but everything happened so fast that I couldn't react. My friend next to me managed to step aside, but the car dragged me forward. It was a miracle that I was thrown into the air and not under the car. In a moment, I might not have been here. I feel that Hashem protected me beyond the boundaries of nature, thanks to the synagogue."

Tanaami mentions that from the first moment, he had no doubt that it was an attack. "The truth is, I was stunned after the event when there were those who doubted it was an attack and tried to claim it was a person who stole a car and thus the collision and accident occurred. I felt deeply that someone was trying to silence the truth, and I tried to contact various sources who might be able to help bring the truth to light.

"These sources did not have a chance to do anything, as very shortly after I already received hundreds of messages, all asking to report the shocking news that I hadn't even managed to update myself on – the event was recognized as a terrorist attack. It turned out that the terrorist himself confessed during his interrogation that he went on the mission with the deliberate intention to kill. Blessed is Hashem that he didn't succeed in fulfilling his evil plan. As I become more acquainted with the full picture, I realize what a huge miracle happened to me."

And how do you feel now?

"I am still hospitalized and my whole body aches. I have injuries in my hands, back, and sides of my body. The main injury is in the leg, where there is an open fracture. I underwent surgery meant to stabilize the condition, and now I am still in the hospital with the great hope that I will be discharged before Chanukah. I am already looking forward to full recovery, after which I will be able to ascend to the Torah to say the gomel blessing and bless with great love for the unimaginable miracle that happened to me. It's truly a Chanukah miracle."

Gilad pauses for a moment to take a deep breath. "Now there is no need for further proof that terrorism is raising its head and reaching even the heart of Tel Aviv. We can only thank Hashem for the great miracle, and hope that justice will be served to the terrorist and that he won't leave prison for at least the next hundred years."

Please continue to pray for the full recovery of Gilad ben Shoshana, among all the sick of Israel.