Father of Teen Dragged by Bus in Yerushalayim: “The Doctors Are in Shock”
One week after the harrowing bus-ramming incident in Yerushalayim that claimed the life of habochur Yosef Eisenthal z”l, new details have emerged about the extraordinary rescue of a second yeshiva bochur who was seen clinging to the front of the bus and survived against all odds.
In an emotional interview aired Tuesday evening on Kol Chai’s radio program, the father of the survivor, Moshe Anshin, spoke with host Nati Kalish and described the terrifying moments and the miracle that spared his 14-year-old son’s life.
At the outset of the interview, Anshin paused to express his condolences to the Eisenthal family. “It’s important for me to stop for a moment and truly express my participation in the immense pain of the Eisenthal family,” he said. “It’s impossible to forget that there is a family here whose lives came to a sudden halt. My heart is with them in this enormous pain that they have gone through and are still going through.”
Anshin then recounted the sequence of events as told to him by his son, a yeshiva bochur who learns at a Breslover yeshiva in Beit Shemesh. According to the father, the boy made his way to Rechov Yirmiyahu after the demonstration and heard shouting. Amid the chaos, he suddenly found himself in a situation he could not comprehend. “He doesn’t remember that part — when he got stuck on the bus, how it happened,” Anshin said. “One thing he told me is that suddenly he realized he couldn’t run — not to the right and not to the left — and he found himself on the bus, and that’s how he was dragged until the point where he fell.”
The chilling account highlights the split-second helplessness the teen experienced as the bus sped forward, and how, driven by instinct alone, he managed to cling to the vehicle’s front.
During the interview, Anshin revealed the critical detail that made the difference between life and death. He explained that his son “grabbed onto some kind of plastic… I think it was the hood cover… literally a piece of plastic that was open, and that’s what he held onto.” That fragile grip kept the boy attached long enough for the bus to slow, allowing him to disengage and fall onto the roadway in a relatively safer spot.
Medical professionals, Anshin said, were stunned by the outcome. “The medical teams — everyone I spoke to, both in the police and in the medical field — told me there is no logical explanation for this,” he said. “A fraction of a second and it could have been missed, and everything would have looked completely different.”
Although his son’s physical condition was described as relatively good, Anshin stressed the deep emotional toll of the ordeal. “He went through an extreme experience,” he said. “He saw his death in front of his eyes and he was saved by rachamei Shomayim.” For now, Anshin explained, his sole focus is on his son’s recovery. “My first and highest goal right now is to protect the child and take care of him. We still haven’t been exposed to what he testified. It’s investigative material, and I don’t want to get into that.”
Asked about the driver’s motive and whether the incident constituted a nationalist terror attack, Anshin chose a measured tone. While acknowledging the widespread public belief that it was an attack, he said he prefers to leave the matter to authorities. “I trust that the relevant bodies, the police and the prosecution, are handling this in the best possible way,” he said. “I hope their conclusions will align with the facts, because there is certainly the prevailing view that it was an attack, and there is evidence to that effect.”
Anshin concluded the interview with a deeply emotional expression of gratitude to Hashem for the neis that occurred amid the broader tragedy. “In the end, we were left with a child, with a son who is precious to me,” he said. “And I thank Hakadosh Boruch Hu, who protected him in such an incredible way, that I received him back home.” He added that he will spend his entire life giving thanks for the miracle, and expressed hope that his son will soon return to the beis medrash, healthy and whole in body and spirit.
{Matzav.com}