Thursday night a terrorist walked into a Jewish school in Jerusalem and opened fire in a library full of students, who were sitting and studying. Eight students were killed, ten were injured.
I am personally acquainted with one of the families whose sons were killed. A boy who had turned 16 just recently, he was found dead slumped over his Talmud book. According to Jewish tradition, he was also buried with the book, as it had been soaked with his blood.
This was not a terrorist act. There was no intent to terrorize a population to achieve political goals. This boy, together with his schoolmates, was killed for the simple reason that he was Jewish.
There are many people who justify Arabs who kill Jews. They are under intense pressure, after all. But nobody truly expects the family of this slain boy to go out and kill innocent Arab civilians in response. In recent years his neighbors have lost many children to similar senseless attacks. And yet nobody expects them to retaliate in any way.
Muslims talk much about Islamophobia, but the real Muslim haters are those who hold Muslims to a lower standard. My sorrow is not just at the loss of these children, but that it seems the West expects such conduct.
I will convey to this family any condolences sent by my readers.
4 comments:
Esther,
My sincere condolences to you, the family of your acquaintance and all families wounded by this insane act of barbarity.
I followed the news around this attack closely and I am deeply saddened by the manner in which it is portayed in the MSM here in Europe, devoting more time to Gazans celebrating then to the act itself.
And I am even more aggrieved by the news that the Security Council of the UN could not find the simple humanity of condemning this atrocity.
Cliche has it that there are two sides to every story. But in this case the cliche is wrong, dead wrong. The only side to this is the side of the victims and their families.
I did not know these boys or heard of this schul prior to the murders. As on 9/11, I found myself glued to my computer following the news from it's first report to the burial and now condolences, tears flowing uncontrollably for the victims and their beloved.
My deepest sympathy to each and every one.
Esther,
I’m sorry to hear that you knew one of the victims. It’s such a horror. We blog about such events, but this is of course very different. Becoming part of the news is totally different than hearing about other’s peoples news.
The barbarism of this act is not to comprehend. What kind of hate is needed to kill young people in a library? Stopped from gaining knowledge by a barbar who hates his kind. Such a terrible waste. A young boy, who had still a whole life in front of him. All his plans, all his hopes, gone by a push off a button. To only leave memories behind.
One would wish such barbarism is unacceptable to anyone. But apparently it’s not. Not even in our own Western world. Many people simply don’t recognize barbarism when they see it. It’s a shame.
There are really no words for it. So let me only say, keep up the good work you do with your blog. Let’s hope it contributes to the spread of knowledge about the new barbarism, that brought this war on us.
Esther,
sorry to hear about this loss.
I pray that God will give comfort and strength to those who lost their loved ones.
Regards,
Snouck
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