Prominent Australian Jewish philanthropists Stephen and Carol Moss have been identified as passengers aboard the Flydubai flight on which an alleged terror attack was thwarted Wednesday, adding another remarkable detail to the dramatic incident that nearly ended in catastrophe.

The Sydney couple were among the passengers aboard the Dubai-to-Israel flight when an Omani first officer allegedly attacked and stabbed the Indian captain inside the cockpit.

Their presence aboard the flight was reported by Australian media, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong subsequently confirmed that at least two Australian citizens aboard the aircraft were safe.

“Thank you to the heroes who thwarted the attack and helped bring passengers to safety,” Wong said. “We are thinking of those injured and hope for their full recovery.”

Stephen and Carol Moss are prominent figures in Sydney’s Jewish community and are well known for their philanthropy and substantial business fortune.

The couple previously owned what was at the time considered Australia’s most expensive home, a sprawling Scottish-style estate in Sydney’s eastern suburbs that they sold in 2022 for approximately $130 million.

Another luxury property owned by the family, the Edgewater estate in the exclusive Sydney suburb of Point Piper, was sold in 2020 for approximately $95 million. The property had reportedly been purchased in 1985 for just $5 million.

The Moss family fortune traces back to Katies, the iconic Australian women’s fashion chain founded in 1956 by Stephen’s father, Holocaust survivor Sam Moss.

Sam Moss survived Auschwitz before rebuilding his life in Australia and establishing the retail empire that would eventually become one of the country’s recognizable fashion brands. He passed away in 2016 at the age of 90.

Beyond their business success, the Moss family became major supporters of Jewish communal and educational institutions.

Stephen and Carol Moss have been recognized for their substantial support of Jewish schools in Australia as well as Tel Aviv University. In 1990, the university awarded Sam Moss an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contributions.

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