Israelis remember their fallen soldiers and civilians murdered by terrorism. I would like to write about a terrible tragedy that occurred not so many years ago. I am not writing names because Israel's graveyards are full of terrible and sad stories, and each victim is as important as the next.
It was Friday morning in Rishon le Zion, I had taken my 6 year old son to school. A mother had taken her six year old to that same school, she crossed the road and took her 3 year old daughter to the local kindergarten. Everyone was preparing for the Shabbat weekend. Later on that Friday, my father in law was looking out of his window in another neighbourhood of Rishon, whilst a religious family with two children were getting into a taxi to go to Jerusalem to a family Barmitzvah. At the same time the parents of the two little girls also left for Jerusalem for the same Bar Mitzvah. They were relatives of the religious family that my in laws were neighbour to.
That Saturday night a suicide bomber blew himself up, he killed the two little girls and their parents instantly, and later on the two boys died from their terrible wounds.
How can their be such wicked people on our earth? How do you explain to a six year old such news about his classmate and her family?
Israelis from such a young age get used to hearing such unbelievably frightening and terrible things, and yet they learn to live with such agonising losses, and carry on. Tonight we shall rejoice Israel's 58th independence day, but we shall never forget that family, nor any of the thousands that have so tragically lost their lives in order that we can continue living in the land of Israel. We shall never part from our beloved Israel; whatever our wicked and hating neighbours throw upon us we shall cope, defend and celebrate our independence !!!!