3rd Annual

san's round-trip cab fare to the
hospital from her home in
Ma'aleh Adumim, just east of
Jerusalem. "It comes to a hefty
$45 a day, and it would be cheap-
er for me to rent a car," she ex-
plains. "That way I could also
come home to give my 12-year-
old lunch — and maintain some
normalcy in his life — before re-
turning to the hospital."
But the rules allow only for
cab fare, and the system is loath
to make exceptions. "Our social
worker has gone to bat for me
twice on this matter, but the an-
swer is stillno."
"Rules do sometimes take
precedence over logic," echoes
Menucha Lahav, whose 37-year-
old daughter, Yael, will soon be
going home after recovering from
damage to her lungs and 17 plas-
tic-surgery operations to repair
the bum damage incurred in the
bombing of a Jerusalem bus last
August 20. "We wanted to buy
Yael a television to make her
hospital stay easier, but Nation-
al Insurance allows only for rent-
ing one," she recalls.

A complete stranger
named Malakai still
visits one victim
regularly.

"It would have cost the gov-
ernment less to subsidize our
purchase than pay for eight
months' rental, but the rules nev-
ertheless prevailed."
Yet, that lapse in common
sense was the only departure
from the outstanding attention
the Lahays have received from
every quarter. The Housing M.in-
istry, Yael's employer, not only
provided her with a cell phone,
but sends its welfare officer to
see her every day.
Other ministry employees
who visit Yael during office hours
don't have the time docked from
their salaries. "And National In-
surance has given consideration
to every detail," Menucha adds
with enthusiasm. "When she was
unable to brush her teeth be-
cause of the burns on her right
hand, it paid for the purchase of
a Water-Pik.
When Yael comes to our home
on leave, the ambulance crew
carries her up the three flights
to our flat."
"I certainly don't feel aban-
doned by the system," Yael adds
firmly. "On the contrary, I'm
pleased not just by the support
I've received, but by the spirit in
which it's been given. It makes
me more eager to get back to my
TRAGIC page 64

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