Reach to the sky - to choose life
On April 30th, 2003, as Avi was on duty, two British- Pakistani terrorists from Hamas walked up to the Mike’s Place entrance. Avi had immediately noticed one of them as he approached and knew something was off. He calmly but forcefully refused entrance to the suspect, eventually putting his hands on him and physically walking him back from the entrance. And that’s when the bomb went off. Three people were tragically killed and many more injured. But if it weren’t for Avi’s decisive, quick and brave actions, the bomber would have entered the premises and killed many more. Avi saved dozens of lives that night.
Avi’s injuries were so bad, when the medical team arrived on site, he was first pronounced dead on the scene. But Avi was not dead, miraculously he had survived and was rushed to the hospital where he recovered.
Six months after the bombing, much to everyone’s shock, Avi returned to work as a security guard at Mike’s Place, which had since reopened. He refused to let the bombing make him live in fear. He chose to take back control, and returned to where he felt most at home: protecting others.
Avi Tabib
To survive terrorist act
Israel
English, Hebrew, Arabic
Avi's life was forever changed on April 30th, 2003 in a suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv, Israel. As the security guard on duty, Avi successfully prevented the terrorist from entering the establishment, saving dozens of lives in the blast.
Avi's injuries were so heinous, emergency personnel pronounced him dead on the scene, only to discover he was miraculously alive.
Today, Avi runs workshops for soldiers, security and law enforcement professionals, and shares his inspirational story of personal and national triumph and, most importantly, of choosing life.