| I have two young neices in Israel....here is E-mail I received
today...a young womans view, in her own words....
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Subj: Tel Aviv Bombing
I hate to keep writing these message to you all. This one will be rather
disjointed, I'm afraid as I am engulfed in CNN, etc. while I write. I am
trying to catch what I can from Israeli news because it seems more real, but
I don't understand everything and that is frustrating. It is 2 hours after
the TA bomb. The pictures are once again gruesome. I saw a charred leg
sitting on the pavement. Peres just left the scene where ppl. were shouting
"Peres, you are next." They jeered him and US Ambassador Indyk and some are
shouting death to Arabs. I don;t even know what to write. In some ways I am
flooded with feelings and at other times I feel numb, as if this can't really
be happening. What they are saying now is that this could really paralyze
(stop?) the peace process. What I do know is that Peres' govt. seems doomed
right now.
Yesterday, the bomb was so close to my house that it is the way I used to
walk to school every day. Maybe a 10 minute walk. I was awake at 6 to go to
a mem.service for the American students that were killed and I heard the
bomb. This time I knew what it was; last week the noise woke me, but it
didn't occur to me that it would be a bomb. Di l'alimut. Enough of the
violence. I hope you can deal with this stream of consciousness. We spent
all day yesterday at school together crying. You know what , there it goes
again ( my tears ). THere were a lot of ppl. ready to go home yesterday
which really upset them, but it getting easier to understand. I still don't
worry that much for my safety, but hell what is it going to take? I think I
am crying because I am so pissed off that this is happening and that even ppl
who were strong proponents of peace are now ready to go out to kill to put an
end to this. I don't know the answers, but I don't want us to turn into
killers. I went out w/ 5 of my friends from school yesterday to feed our
faces (Jewish women's answer to anxiety) in between discussion sessions at
school and in walks Bibi netanyahu (opposition leader) to this quiet little
restaurant w/ his 2 bodyguards and their cellphones. (Death toll just
reported for last 9 days as already over 50). I was sickened b/c here he is
eating pasta with his napkin tucked under his chin and I couldn't really see
him so I don't know how upset he looked or snything but why wasn;t he in
meetings or something? Doing anything. Why can;t anyone do anythin? he is
not going to make things better, and I really think they will be worse if he
comes in and he is an ass. I am sorry and I prob shouldn't even send
this message but I am really upset right now. I knew this would happen today
b/c there is so much security in J'lem they just had to bomb somewhere else.
It is 6:25 and Hamas has not claimed responsibility yet. I bet it is just
extremists on their own. One of my teachers said yesterday, that this is
what it is like for the Jewish ppl. This has always been a part of our
history and we are (supposed to be ) celebrating Purim right now where they
tried to destroy us and couldn't succeed. I don't feel like the Jewish ppl
will be wiped out now, but maybe this peace process that I was just starting
to believe really could work. I don't want to leave here. i don't think I
am trying to be a hero, I just feel like my place is here, and I don't know
if it really makes a difference, but for now I want to be here. What will it
take to change that, I don't know. Ppl are going to school tonight so they
can be together and I don't know if I want to have a big communal cry-fest and
hear about ppl who want to leave. Rachel is okay too. We both just don't
know what to think. I am crying but I don't know if it is because I am
scared or in mourning or what. I won't particularly get in a bus now, but
apparantly it doesn't matter where you are. All I know. is that I love it
here and we need Israeli and all year I have had absolutely no intentions of
moving here, but recently the idea has crossed my mind, which is really muzar
(strange) because now I also have to seriously think about leaving. Don't
get the wrong idea, I have no plans to make Aliyah now, but I am not
completely ruling it out. So here is Bill Clinton on TV
saying the US will stand behind Israel if they keep standing up for peace,
but we are the ones dying here. Poor, poor Peres. Poor Rabin. champions of
peace who just can't make it in this society. I think I am going to stop
writing. I should probably edit this whole thing, but instead I will just
send it without reading it at all.
I love you all. Please. . . what, I don't know. Don't worry too much, I
guess. Pray and support Israel with everything you can. We'll do our best
over here.
B' shalom, Lisa
% Subject: Tel Aviv Bombing
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