Young Terror Victim Lucky to Be Alive

Maya was stabbed in her back last Wednesday, October 14, 2015 while riding the bus to work from her home in Armon HaNatziv, which is located in Jerusalem.

Maya was sitting in the back of the bus when, suddenly, she saw a figure standing with a gun shouting, "Don't move!”

At first she thought it was a soldier who saw something suspicious. However, when he started shooting in every direction while running toward her, Maya knew he was an extremist.

To her relief, he didn't see her because she managed to duck down between the seats. But when she lifted her head, she saw another man coming toward her with a knife. Even though Maya started to run toward the door, he caught her and stabbed her.

Maya remained focused, though, and despite her injuries, she was able to run to another bus that had just stopped behind her. She got on the bus and the driver locked the doors. Maya’s wound was deep and bleeding heavily. The people on the bus called for an ambulance and tried to stop Maya’s bleeding before she lost too much blood.

When the police arrived, they knew they couldn’t wait for an ambulance, so they immediately brought Maya to Shaare Zedek Medical Centre.

Maya’s wound was so deep that she suffered a punctured lung, even though the knife attack passed through her shoulder first.

As Maya lay in the hospital, recovering from her attack, many people came to cheer her up, embrace, and strengthen her.  During times of terror, there are many examples of the people of Israel showing their support to the victims.

When Maya returned home, she discovered that the casing of one of the extremist's bullets had fallen into her purse when he fired. This serves as a reminder of how lucky she is that she survived.

The Fellowship heard about Maya’s attack and wanted to give her the support she needs for recovery. Eva Geller, a staff member working in the Jerusalem office who knows Maya, went to her home to visit with her and to let her know that she has Christian and Jewish friends around the world who are thinking of her.

Maya is so grateful to The Fellowship who are supporting her during this scary and stressful time. She knows she is blessed for escaping the attack and for having many friends who want to stand by her side as she recovers.