Yom HazikaronMore than 22,000 Israeli soldiers and civilians have been killed since the establishment of the State. Many more have been maimed.
Today is Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day. Following are just a small number of those who were murdered following Yasser Arafat's September 2000 commencement of the Palestinian terror war.
Yosef Tabeja - It's hard to remember that IDF soldiers used to go on joint patrols with Palestinian Authority officers. On September 29, 2000, Yossi, an immigrant from Ethiopia, was shot and killed by the Palestinian with whom he was on patrol.
Hillel Lieberman - An immigrant from the United States, on October 8, 2000, Hillel headed toward Shechem (Nablus) upon learning that Palestinians were destroying Joseph's Tomb. He was brutally murdered by a Palestinian mob.
Yosef Avrahami and Vadim Norzhich - On October 12, 2000, two IDF reservists made a wrong turn into Ramallah. They were brought to the PA police station, where they were lynched by a Palestinian mob, their bodies mutilated. On television, members of the mob excitedly displayed their hands that were full of the blood of Yosef and Vadim.
Arye Hershkowitz and Assaf Hershkowitz - On January 29, 2001, Arye was shot dead while driving north of Jerusalem, near Ramallah. His son, Assaf, sat shiva for his father. Three months later, on May 1, 2001, Assaf was shot dead while driving on the Beit El-Ofra bypass road, very near the location of his father's murder.
Shmuel Gillis - A hemotologist at Hadassah Hospital, Shmuel was driving home after a night shift on February 1, 2001, when he was shot dead while driving to his Gush Etzion home. Among Shmuel's patients were Palestinians and Arabs from neighboring countries.
Shalhevet Pass - On March 26, 2001, Shalhevet was shot in the head by a Palestinian terrorist on a Hebron hilltop while she was sitting in her stroller.
Koby Mandell and Yosef Ish-Ran - On May 8, 2001, Koby and Yosef - both 13 - cut school to hike near their Tekoa home. They were found the next morning stoned to death, their bodies essentially unidentifiable.
Sara Blaustein - In the summer of 2000, Sara and her husband made aliyah from New York. On May 29, 2001, Sara was shot dead while they drive from their Efrat home to Jerusalem.
Shoshana Greenbaum - Shoshana was visiting Israel from New Jersey, and was pregnant with her first child. She was killed in the Sbarro bombing on August 9, 2001.
Frieda Mendelsohn - Frieda had just undergone medical tests, and her daughter suggested they stop off at Sbarro, since Frieda had not been permitted to eat prior to completion of the exams. Frieda was killed in the Sbarro bombing; her husband was the long-term sexton of a major Jerusalem synagogue. Her daughter was wounded.
Michal Raziel and Malki Roth - Michal and Malki were close friends who went for lunch at Sbarro. Michal was 16, Malki was 15.
Mordechai, Tzira, Ra'aya, Avraham and Chemda Schijveschuurder - The Schijveschuurder family stopped off at Sbarro. Ra'aya, Avraham and Chemba were 14, 4 and 2. 5 surviving children were orphaned. As he was dying, Mordechai recited the shema prayer with his children.
Keren Shatsky - Keren's family immigrated from the United States. On February 16, 2002, Keren was murdered in a suicide bombing in the pizzeria in the Karnei Shomron shopping mall. She was 15.
Shlomo, Gafnit, Shiraz, Liran and Shaul Nehmad and Lidor and Oriah Ilan - The Nehmad and Ilan families had come to Jerusalem for a family bar mitzvah. On March 2, 2002, Shlomo and Gafnit were killed in a suicide bombing along with their two children, Shiraz and Liran. Also killed was their nephews Shaul and Lidor, and their 18 month niece Oriah. Oriah was in her father's arms when the bombing occurred.
Rachel Levy - Rachel was a high school senior. On March 30, 2002, she went to a Jerusalem supermarket. She and the supermarket's security guard were killed by a female suicide bomber who the guard prevented from entry. Later, the New York Times and other media outlets ran stories that obscenely compared Rachel and her murderer.
Shiri Negari - Shiri was among the 19 people who were murdered by a suicide bombing of a bus in the Gilo section of Jerusalem on June 18, 2002. She was calm and assisted paramedics while taken to Hadassah Hospital. It turned out that she had severe internal bleeding, and she died on the operating table. Later, an ER doctor at Hadassah stated that Shiri's death was among the most painful for him, because he had spoken to her and gotten to know her briefly upon her arrival at the hospital.
Marla Bennett - Marla, a resident of San Diego, was studying at Hebrew University and Pardes. She was murdered in the bombing at Hebrew University on July 31, 2002.
Yoni Jesner - Yoni, who lived in Scotland where he was a religious youth leader, was in his second year at Yeshivat Har Etzion. On September 20, 2002, he was murdered in a suicide bombing of a Tel Aviv bus.
Noam Apter - On Friday night December 27, 2002, Noam was working in the kitchen in the yeshiva in Otniel when terrorists infiltrated. The terrorists sprayed the yeshiva dining room with bullets. Noam quickly locked the door to the dining room and threw away the key, giving up his own life to spare the students in the dining room.
Daniel Mandel - As a child, Daniel made aliyah from Toronto with his family. On April 15, 2003, while serving in an IDF operation against Hamas, Daniel was shot dead.
Noam Leibowitz - On June 17, 2003, the Leibowitz family was driving home from a family bar mitzvah in Jerusalem. Terrorists sprayed bullets at the car. 7 year old Noam was shot dead, and her 3 year old sister Shira was seriously wounded.
Goldie and Shmuel Taubenfeld - Visiting Israel from New Square, Goldie was murdered on August 19, 2003, in a suicide bombing of the Number 2 bus in Jerusalem, returning from the Western Wall. Her 3 month old son Shmuel was also killed, and her daughter was wounded.
David and Naava Appelbaum - With Naava's wedding set for the next evening, the Appelbaum family spent the night of September 9, 2003 making final preparations for the wedding. Dr. David Appelbaum, head of ER at Shaarei Zedek Hospital, had just returned from New York, where he gave a lecture at NYU about running an ER that routinely treated terror victims. David and Naava went to Cafe Hillel on Jerusalem's Emek Refaim Street to buy drinks. As they entered the shop, a suicide bomber blew himself up.
Tali, Hadar, Hila, Merav and Roni Hatuel - On May 2, 2004, Tali Hatuel and her four daughters - ages 2-11 - and her unborn son - left their Gush Katif settlement to campaign for Likud voters to vote against Prime Minister Sharon's proposed withdrawal from Gaza. Terrorists shot at the car, forcing it off the road. Then, terrorists approached the car and shot all five occupants dead at close range. Tali was 8 months pregnant with her first son.
posted on 5/02/2006
