Chabad Emissary Steps In To Help Autistic Child During Transatlantic Flight

An encounter on a recent flight from Europe to America has caught the attention of the Internet.

On a flight back from Israel after chaperoning an a Mayanot Taglit-Birthright trip, Chabad-Lubavitch emissary Rochel Groner found herself in a unique position to help. An hour into an eight hour connecting flight from Europe, and after a three-hour delay before takeoff, a young boy with autism had a meltdown.

“You could hear his cries throughout the plane,” wrote Rabbi Bentzi Groner, who along with his wife Rochel co-directs the Charlotte, N.C. chapter of Friendship Circle and ZABS place, an upscale thrift boutique and employment training center for young adults with disabilities. A ‘meltdown’, which appears similar to an extreme tantrum, is a response in people with autism to sensory overload.“You could feel the tension among the other passengers,” he continued in a Facebook post .

The child’s parents seemed overwhelmed by the situation and despite there being no overt comments from other passengers “it was getting very uncomfortable,” said Groner.

The post and photos of the incident have already received thousands of reactions and has been shared more than 500 times.

“Don’t need to see Wonder Woman in the theater,” wrote one commenter, “Just drive on down to ZABS Place. She’s there every day!”

“This is the most beautiful story I have heard about in a very long time. We need more Rochels in this world,” wrote another.

“While most of the passers looked on with awe,” Bentzi Groner writes, “little did they know that for Rochel this is her life. At Friendship Circle, we’re taught that if we just offer our hand in love and acceptance, miracles will follow.”