3 Tammuz Special: Where Was Ariel Sharon?

In honor of Gimmel Tammuz Chabad.org updated TheRebbe.org site with fascinating new accounts and correspondence of the Rebbe with Presidents of the United States, Physicians, Rabbis, Philanthropists and Jewish Leaders. Click here to read the fascinating accounts and correspondence.

Rabbi Zev Segal related this story about when the first and last El Al plane was hijacked. It was in July 1968, when a flight from Rome was seized by the terrorist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and forced to land in Algiers. Passengers and crew were held hostage there, with the last of them not released until five months later.

To the terrorists’ dismay, however, their prime target, Ariel Sharon, then a general in the Israel Defense Forces, was not on the plane. Where was he? He was in an audience with the Rebbe, who continued to speak to him, though the general wanted to leave to make it on the flight.

“He came to say goodbye to the Rebbe, so the Rebbe told him not to go on that plane,” related Rabbi Segal, “He listened to the Rebbe.”

Rabbi Segal, who was in an audience a little while later, mentioned to the Rebbe that he wanted to ask a question. “Is it true that you stopped Sharon from going on that plane that was hijacked?” he asked.

The Rebbe confirmed that he did. To which the rabbi asked, “So why didn’t you stop the plane altogether?”

“Is it true that you stopped Sharon from going on that plane that was hijacked? So why didn’t you stop the plane altogether?” The Rebbe responded, “Do you really think that I knew that they’ll hijack the plane? I didn’t know that they’ll hijack the plane. Sharon came to say goodbye to me, so I told him not to go.”

Click here to read the rest of the amazing relationship between the Rebbe and Zev Segal.