Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says as reflected on by Rabbi Miriam Levin

News of a flight co-pilot attack aboard an Israel-bound plane reached Highland Woods. This incident made our community feel a chill of intimate vulnerability. A commercial cockpit relies on a profound covenant of total trust. At thirty thousand feet, hundreds of passengers place their lives into the hands of two professionals. These pilots are tasked with guiding them home safely. Therefore, learning that a co-pilot violently turned against his captain strikes at the very foundation of human safety.

Protecting Life: A Sacred Charge

Jewish tradition teaches us that the obligation to protect life supersedes nearly every other commandment. Indeed, civilization depends on guardians who remain faithful to their sacred charge. When that trust is breached from within, shock quickly turns to dread. Our sages, however, taught us a profound truth: whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved an entire world. The swift courage that prevented catastrophe in that cockpit was truly a holy defense of innocent lives.

This week at Congregation Kol Shalom, we offer prayers of thanksgiving for the captain. He heroically averted tragedy and saved many. Fear often tempts us to retreat into suspicion. Nevertheless, our tradition calls us to strengthen the bonds of vigilance and community care. We honor those who stood between terror and harmless travelers during the flight co-pilot attack. We pray that our journeys may always find peace and safe harbor.

By Rabbi Miriam Levin

Senior Rabbi at Congregation Kol Shalom in the outer suburb of Highland Woods. Scholar of Talmudic ethics and civil dialogue, active with multi-faith councils and mental health advocacy. Writes on covenantal ethics, intergenerational memory, modern bioethics, and Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).