Survivor of Entebbe Returns to Uganda 50 Years Later and Recites Thanksgiving Blessing

R. Dov Baer (Gilbert) Weil of Antwerp, a prominent follower of the Pshevorsk Rebbe, returned on Monday with his family to Uganda for an emotional, historic visit marking exactly 50 years since the Entebbe rescue. He had been among the hostages held there in July 1976, when he and his late wife, Chaya, were on a flight to Paris that was hijacked during the operation that later stunned the world.

The trip carried deep personal meaning for Weil, who decided to mark the half-century since his rescue in a symbolic way. During the original ordeal, when Shabbat began in Uganda, his wife asked for candles so she could light Shabbat candles. A Holocaust survivor there told her they would find matches, explaining, “We also did that during the Holocaust,” and she did so.

On his return, Weil stood again on Ugandan soil at the exact place where he had been held under threat by the kidnappers five decades earlier. Surrounded by his many descendants, he broke into heavy tears and thanked God for the kindness shown to him during those days.

In a choked voice, he recited the blessing, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed a miracle for me in this place.” Those present responded “Amen” in tears, then sang “Am Yisrael Chai” in joy and emotion.