JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A special prayer of thanks was recited at the Western Wall on Thursday after tens of thousands gathered at the holy site following the dramatic rescue of 174 passengers aboard a Flydubai flight whose co-pilot allegedly tried to crash the plane.
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Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, rabbi of the Western Wall and the holy sites, called on the massive crowd to recite “Mizmor LeTodah,” Psalm 100, as an expression of gratitude for the lives saved.

“We saw a great miracle,” Rabinovitch told the worshippers before leading the recitation. “If the Temple were standing, we would be standing today and offering a thanksgiving offering — thanking Hashem for the great miracle.”

The prayer followed the traditional Birkat Kohanim ceremony held during Chol Hamoed Sukkot, which drew tens of thousands of worshippers to the Western Wall plaza. The gathering included the traditional priestly blessing, followed by prayers for the safety of Israeli soldiers and security forces, the recovery of the wounded, unity and the security of Israel.

The special prayer came one day after Flydubai Flight FZ1073, traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, narrowly avoided disaster after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed the captain and sent the aircraft into a steep descent of nearly 14,000 feet in less than 30 seconds.

Despite his injuries, the captain managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers and crew members to enter and overpower the co-pilot. Two off-duty Flydubai pilots who were aboard the aircraft then helped take control and land the plane safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

The 174 passengers later continued their journey to Israel on a replacement Flydubai aircraft, arriving at Ben Gurion Airport more than 10 hours after the ordeal began. Israeli passengers described the rescue as a miracle and praised those who entered the cockpit to stop the attacker.

Rabbi Rabinovitch invoked the significance of the moment as the crowd gathered at the site closest to the location of the ancient Temple.

“Here, at the place closest to the Temple, let us all say together: ‘Give thanks to Hashem, for He is good, for His kindness endures forever,’” he said.

The incident also prompted Israel’s Chief Rabbi Kalman Bar and a group of rabbis and yeshiva heads to recite “Mizmor LeTodah” in a separate gathering, thanking Hashem for what Rabbi Bar described as a miraculous rescue.

The dramatic episode ended without a mass-casualty disaster, with passengers and crew members credited with preventing what could have been a catastrophic crash.