Israeli family on way to pray nearly killed by Arab mob in Jerusalem, saved by ‘miracle’

Family on way to pray at the Western Wall was surrounded by an Arab mob who smashed their car windows with bricks.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

A Jerusalem family says they escaped by a “miracle” after their car was surrounded in an Arab neighborhood and pelted with bricks that smashed out all of the windows, narrowly missing them, Channel 20 reported.

Rivka Stern said she and her husband were driving to the Old City of Jerusalem last week from their home in Ra’anana in central Israel with their daughter Maki when they were attacked.

“We were traveling to pray at the Kotel and WAZE took us via At-Tur by way of Mt. Scopus,” Stern told Channel 20, referring to the Arab neighborhood on the Mount of Olives across from the Old City.

She said her husband called to check with security before they traveled to ensure the route was okay, and were told it was safe to travel there, just not at night.

Maki said that as they were on the main street of At-Tur heading towards the Old City, they suddenly heard shouting and the back of their car came under a barrage of rocks.

“Tens of youths surrounded the car and my husband locked the doors,” Stern said. “We knew that something terrible was happening behind us. From in front a lot of bricks were thrown at us and the Holy One blessed be He saved us.”

The windows were smashed and the Arabs tried to open the doors but failed.

“My husband tried to get out of there, but we were stuck in a traffic jam from both sides,” she said, adding that “nobody came” to help them.

“There was serious panic because we thought it was the end,” she added.

Stern called the police who arrived within 10 minutes, and in the meantime the Arab driver of a minibus in front of them was able to help by moving his vehicle enough to let them pass.

Stern said another Israeli car with a young ultra-Orthodox couple arrived a few minutes later, also with its windows smashed out.

She showed one of the paving bricks that was thrown through the windows.

“When the say on the news a ‘stone attack,’ you imagine small stones,” Maki said. “These were bricks … you can only imagine if one hit you, you would be dead.”

Police said the incident was caught on security cameras, and the family went to a police station afterwards to give evidence.

The attack occurred the same day that Israeli police announced that “calm” had been restored and removed a ban on Arabs congregating at the Damascus Gate of the Old City, where evening riots have been taking place for the past week.

Only two Hebrew news agencies reported on the attack, with the Sterns saying they also were invited to talk about the incident on Channel 12’s morning talk show the following day.