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Vigil For Israel

Local e orts memorialize Israeli terror victims in public places.

RONELLE GRIER
Special to the Jewish News

Local organizers took the vigil one
step further by organizing a photo-
graph of community members holding
nyone who thinks wars are
aloft more than 400 photographs of
fought only by soldiers
terror victims in a field near the front
should know about 9-
pond of the Jewish Community
month-old Avia Malka, who Center in West Bloomfield. This pho-
was resting in her carriage when two
tograph, a striking illustration of the
Palestinian terrorists tossed grenades
death toll, is being sent to newspapers
and sprayed gunfire into a group of
locally and in Israel, and to U.S. gov-
people leaving a Shabbat celebration at
ernment officials.
the Jeremy Hotel in Netanya.
Before the photograph, people strolled
They also should know about the
quietly through rows and rows of photo-
young husband and wife who were
graphs laid out tombstone-like in the
gunned down at a bus stop on their
field. Individuals bent over to read biog-
way home from a doctor visit, where
raphical information on the backs of the
they learned they were about to
photographs; a few, moved by the dra-
become the parents of twins.
matic display, wiped away tears.
These Israeli civilian victims are
"This is the ugliest of wars, because
among 570 men, women and children
the battlefields are shopping malls,
murdered by Palestinian terrorists since
pizza parlors and bus stops," said
the beginning of the intifada (uprising)
Jeremy Salinger, president of the Labor
in September 2000. They were mourned Zionist Alliance of Metropolitan
locally as part of a national program,
Detroit, who helped organize the vigil.
"Vigil for Israel: Commemorating
And the children are the most inno-
Victims of Terror," sponsored by the
cent victims. We're here to send a mes-
American Zionist Movement.
sage to our government that the terror
The five-day vigil began July 17, on
must be stopped."
the eve of Tisha b'Av, which marks the
David.Blewett, director of the
destruction of both Holy Temples in
Ecumenical Institute for Jewish-
Jerusalem and other historic tragedies.
Christian Studies, said, "As a Christian,
I felt it was important to be here to
Related editorial: page 33
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share a broken heart with Israel. I have
many friends and cousins there."
"The thing that strikes me most is
the pictures," said David Gad-Harf,
executive director of the Jewish
Community Council of Metropolitan
Detroit, a vigil co-sponsor. "We talk in
general terms about politics, but it's
real people who are being killed and
terrorized — these photos really bring
that home."
Batya and Israel Rosenberg, with
their son Tzachi, listened as their
daughter Gali read the biography of a
young man killed last year.
"The young man she is reading
about went from kindergarten through
high school with my other daughtej
said Israel Rosenberg of West
Bloomfield.
"There are no words to express
this," said Meir Baz, who moved to
Royal Oak from Israel eight years ago.
"Just look at these pictures; you don't
need any words."
Rabbi Alon Tolwin of Aish HaTorah
addressed the crowd after some of the
victims' stories had been read aloud.
While holding the photos of Israeli
victims high, lie led the group in recit-
ing the Shona prayer, followed by
singing of the Israeli and American
national anthems Hatikvakand the