DRAMA IN THE SKY

Plane Forced to Land After Passenger Goes Into Labor Mid-Flight

The woman gave birth five weeks prematurely.

A flight from Tel Aviv to New York was forced to make an emergency diversion after a pregnant passenger went into labor mid-flight. The El Al aircraft landed in Rome, Italy, where the woman was taken by ambulance to a hospital in a nearby suburb of Ostia. She gave birth to a baby girl several hours afterward, with the child arriving five weeks prematurely. During the incident, a fellow passenger contacted Rabbi Shalom Ber Hazan, the Chabad emissary in Rome, to alert him and arrange support for the Jewish couple through the local community. Rabbi Hazan’s wife, Chani Hazan, then traveled from Rome to Ostia to visit the new mother, bringing her kosher food and staying at the hospital to provide assistance and support. “It was very special how the community rallied to support this family,” Hazan told Chabad.org. The New Jersey family is receiving additional support from the Jewish community in Rome as they navigate their return to the United States with a new family member, Chabad.org reported. “It was incredible to see that in action today, and it’s special to have played a small part in this very unique story,” Hazan told the outlet.