‘Terrorists entered my family’s home – somehow they survived’
An extraordinary account of how Bradley Langer's family survived in their safe room while surrounded by terrorists trying everything they could to murder them.
Kinloss on Shabbat and Yom Tov last weekend morning was heaving as normal.
Walking in, I made my way to my friends to make the traditional greetings. However, instead of Shabbat Shalom, I was greeted with news of some escalation in Israel. Details were few, just some vague rumours of thousands of rockets being fired from Gaza. Though a surprise, news of rockets stopped being shocking many years ago,
Then I overheard something new: “They’ve gotten in, they’re in all the border kibbutzim”. It shocked me to the core.
Anyone with family in or around southern Israel knows the worry and anxiety which shot up through our spines at this moment.
Racing home to turn on my phone, I saw the message I was dreading: “We are stuck. They came in and burnt our house.”
My Aunt Deborah (born and raised in Romford, Essex), my cousin Aimee, her husband Uriel and their newborn 10-day old baby Kai were in a safe room in the Kibbitz of Nirim, surrounded by terrorist who were trying everything to get to them, and murder them.
It would be hours before we would receive another message from them. This time was hell for me and my family, I do not wish to imagine what it was like for them.
All in all, they were in that ‘Safe Room’ for 9 hours. 9 hours surrounded by terrorist on the hunt for Jews. Eventually, and by the grace of G-d, we heard the news that the IDF had reached them and taken them to relative safety.
At 6.30am on Saturday morning, my family were awoken by rocket sirens. As normal procedure, they rushed in the’ safe room’ which all houses in this area are equipped with, built to protect against rockets. An hour later, they heard the sounds of gunfire and they realised that they were under attack.
Looking on the security cameras of the house, they saw the terrorists were in their house.
These ‘safe rooms’ were not built to keep invaders out. They have no lock on the inside. With all their might my cousin Aimee and her husband Uriel made sure that that door handle did not turn. The terrorist tried shooting the door but could not enter.
They were undeterred in their attempts to kill. They set fire to the house with them inside. The safe room started filling with black smoke and my Aunt speaks of coming to terms with death, hers and her family’s.
Whenever they believed the terrorists had moved away, onto other houses, my family would open the small window in an attempt to get some fresh air. They would place Kai, their 10-day old baby, on the windowsill. Whenever they heard the terrorists return, they would throw Kai on the bed, shut the window, and squeeze that door handle with all their might. This was repeated for six hours, during which they heard the screams of the family dog as he burnt to death.
Once the IDF arrived they were transferred to an underground shelter where they started to hear the horror stories of others, many who were murdered. From there they were taken to a hospital where they were all treated for smoke inhalation.
As time passes and the atrocities of the terrorists continue to come to light, it is strange to think of my family as the lucky ones.
My Aunt Deborah keeps coming back to the same question. If the terrorists had gotten in, would they have been murdered straight away or kidnapped and taken as hostages. As the horror stories of babies being massacred are shared, I dread to think of what would have happened to baby Kai.
As Kai grows up, I pray that he knows a world of peace and not war and terror.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
