By Mordy Mehlman
Roi Marcel Assaraf
Last week, I had the great zchus of having private interview with Roi Marcel Assaraf, the legendary tattooed Israeli who miraculously survived the Hamas attack, and subsequently became a Baal Teshuva together with his wife Yonah. I was mesmerized by him and his story, and would like to share it with you.
Roi owns a successful hair salon in Tel Aviv, and is married with two daughters. He had little connection to religion, and as he told me, “My entire life was one big party, devoting all my energy and essence to having fun. I had my entire body painted with tattoos as form of art, but in reality they represented the frivolities of life which I now realize are meaningless.
How did his life take such a sudden turn, and what lessons does Roi have for us?
On that fateful October 7th, he and his wife were at the Nova Music Festival, and while filming it in the early morning hours, notice smoke and missiles coming in their direction. Visualizing his precious daughters back home, he instantly decided to leave, raced with his wife to their car and drove as fast as they could down the highway.
When 20 terrorists started firing machine guns at his vehicle, he instinctively pushed his and his wife’s head down while screaming Shema Yisroel. To this day he doesn’t know how the car stayed on the road without him looking out the front windshield, and he miraculously reached Jerusalem and his daughters that same morning. He instantly realized they were saved by Hashem, and decided to change his life. He now wears a yarmulka, his wife covers her hair for Shabbos, and they have adopted a religious lifestyle including shmiras Shabbos, taharas hamishpacha, and wearing tefillin daily.
Praising Hashem for Helping Them Survive
He wants his story spread around the world to strengthen other Jews and praise Hashem for helping them survive. In addition, he is already working on a book that will list the countless miracles Hashem performed for him an others on that day.
Roi and his family are now headed for a life of Torah, something that would have been unfathomable before October 7th.
It sounds hard to comprehend, but understandable with the pintele Yid – the flame of Yiddishkeit that every Jew possesses in their heart, no matter their level of religiosity. No Jew is ever too far from Hashem, as the Kotzker Rebbe explains in next week’s parsha: It should begin “Lech el Paroah” (Go to Paroah) and not “Bo el Paroah” (Come to Paroah).
In reality, a person never “goes” to or from Hakodosh Baruch Hu, because it is impossible to distance oneself from One who fills the entire world. So, Hashem was saying “Come with Me, since I am with you wherever you go.”
The most challenging part of my interview with Roi was when I asked him how he and others came closer to Yiddishkeit after witnessing all the death and destruction, rather than giving it up altogether and losing whatever little Emunah and bitachon they had.
Overcome by a Love of Hashem and a Deep Desire to Grow
His amazing answer: “On October 7, 15 of my good friends were butchered to death, and two more are hostages in Gaza. Until that day, my life was empty, just occupied with nonsense that seemed like fun. After the tragedy, I felt reborn, and I heard the call from Hashem. Every day I hear voices calling to me and steering me on the proper path. Before that day, I had at times attended Torah classes, but was always afraid to give up my fun. Now, my fears of the unknown strictures of Judaism have been overcome by a love of Hashem and a deep desire to grow.”
Throughout the interview, people in the restaurant lined up for brachos from Roi, who was brought to America by Rabbi Eli Gewirtz of Partners in Torah. I honestly felt inadequate and humbled incomarison to this great man who has a bright future for himself, his family, and all of Klal Yisroel.
Reprinted in the January 11, 2024 edition of The FJJ (Flatbush Jewish Journal.
