On Thursday, the ‘Hagomel’ blessing ceremony was held at the Western Wall Plaza, recited by young survivors rescued by the heroes Rami Davidian and his son-in-law Oren Laufer from the horrific massacre at the Nova music festival.
On the morning of Oct. 7, Rami received a call from a friend asking him to rescue one of the youngsters who participated in the party held in the area. With determination, Rami went to the party area, only to witness the dimensions of the disaster. Amidst missile attacks and heavy gunfire from terrorists, Oren, his son-in-law, joined him, and together they gathered young men and women hiding on the sides of the roads and within the party area, rescuing dozens to a protected area far from the massacre sites.
A blessing thanking God for deliverance, Birkhat HaGopmel is typically recited in the presence of a minyan, or prayer quorum, often in the synagogue following an aliyah to the Torah.
Along with the survivors and their parents, friends, and families, Ramio and Oren recited the ‘Hagomel’ blessing and said the ‘Psalm of Thanksgiving’ for the lives they received as a gift.
“For us, this marks the closure to thank the Almighty here for the miracle of being here and for the privilege of saving many youths,” Rami was quoted as saying.
Saying HaGomel at the Kotel (Western Wall) is becoming popular as earlier in the week soldiers from the Southern Command Battalion arrived at the Western Wall to recite the “Hagomel” blessing and the “Psalm of Thanksgiving” after fighting in the Gaza Strip.
