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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Be proud of who you are, even when it is unpopular, because that pride can inspire others and their prayers can help protect you. The story, told by Rabbi Fischel Schachter, follows a Jewish Air Force pilot in World War II who faced hostility from fellow pilots and was told by a general to "be proud of who you are." His visible pride, shown by painting a slingshot and "David and Goliath" on his plane, led other Jewish personnel to pray for his safe return.
Key Points
- The pilot, referred to as Jonasen Weisman (the speaker himself said he wasn't sure of the name), was an Air Force pilot in World War II in Okinawa, facing hostility from colleagues who blamed Jews for the war.
- He reported feeling more uncomfortable on the base than in the air, where the Japanese were at least the ones shooting at planes.
- After a comrade's death and a cruel remark, he went to the general, who told him only to "be proud of who you are."
- He read about David and Goliath and asked to paint a slingshot on his plane, naming it "David and Goliath"; the Hebrew words were also written on the plane.
- Years later, men from the ship's kitchen, who were Jewish and had a safer job, revealed that they had stopped and prayed for his plane to return each time it took off.
- The speaker's conclusion is that the pilot survived not only through skill but because others were davening for him, and that pride in one's identity earns the pride of others.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: The story gives no step-by-step instructions. The actionable takeaway is to openly display your identity (in this case, painting a symbol on his plane) and to pray for others facing danger, as the kitchen workers did.
- The kitchen workers were on a boat and did not fly, so their safety came from a different job, but they still felt fear and hid their identity while in service.
- The plane painting was allowed by the military; each pilot could paint something on his aircraft.
- Every other plane on that carrier did not return alive, while this pilot kept taking off and landing.
- The story was shared by Rabbi Fischel Schachter, who said he heard it on Shabbos; the video itself is sponsored by Stories to Inspire.org, which is not the source of the story.
