Rabbi Shraga Fruchter described in an interview with Arutz Sheva the moments following a missile strike on the building where he lives in Shoham, and the lesson in faith he experienced on the way to the safe room.
Rabbi Fruchter, head of the Bnei Akiva yeshiva in Givat Shmuel and a resident of Shoham, recalled the frightening moments on Friday night last week, when a cluster missile launched from Iran struck the building where he and his family live.
As the family was preparing for Kiddush, a siren sounded. The rabbi said that because of the proximity to Ben Gurion Airport, residents are used to hearing very loud noises -but this time it was different: “There was one boom you couldn’t miss, and it shook the entire building."
His son, who had come home briefly from fighting in the Gaza Strip, immediately recognized the severity of the event: “My son, who came from Gaza for Shabbat, told me: ‘This isn’t shrapnel, and I’m not sure it’s in another area-it's probably in our area.’ We never imagined the building itself had been hit."
When they exited the protected room, the damage initially seemed minor, but screams from the upper floor revealed the scale of the disaster-the apartment above was engulfed in flames.
Rabbi Fruchter acted quickly, knocking on neighbors’ doors to make sure no one was left behind, and evacuated his family to the street.
“We went outside and suddenly saw this enormous fire. We saw the miracle with our own eyes. We came out of a place where anyone living there could have been finished. We were truly in an inferno-and we came out happy and grateful, thank God."
The incident also changed his view on safety procedures: “I used to take my time after an alert and wait for the siren, while my wife would shout from the safe room: ‘Run, run, run!’ Today I run. The safe room protected us."
The Fruchter family reflects a microcosm of Israeli society during wartime: one son serves in the Givati Brigade in Lebanon, another is a reservist in Gaza, a third is in Hebron, and a daughter treats wounded patients in hospitals.
“I think we are living through historic days. Things are happening that we never dreamed of. My son told me: ‘The soldiers are strong, determined, and want to finish this war once and for all.’"
Alongside the strength of the Israel Defense Forces, the rabbi expressed admiration for the resilience of Israel’s home front and the outpouring of kindness and solidarity he has experienced since the strike. He described neighbors and former students who continually offer help, alternative housing, and food.
“The brotherhood, friendship, and great love among everyone truly show that the people of Israel live."