EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK From Joy To Despair B osmat Nehmad is a 12-year-old Israeli girl whose name in Hebrew means a breath of fresh air. She's bright, aware and friendly. She's also a surviving sis- ter of two teens who, by fate, wound up in the wrong spot when a Palestinian suicide bomber saw fit to mur- der or mangle as many Israeli civilians as he could. Bosmat is the daughter of Dalia and Ezra Nehmad, Israeli natives of Jewish Syrian ancestry, who live in Rishon Le-Zion, outside Tel Aviv. The town perfected groundwater mining in the 1880s, an advancement that helped spur more Jewish set- dement in water-starved Palestine. One of Bosmat's newest friends is Elana Firsht, 12-year-old daughter of Mickey and Jon Firsht of West Bloomfield. The West Hills Middle School student is busy prepar- ing to become a bat mitzvah on Feb. 7 at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield. As part of her preparation, she yearned to meet an Israeli girl of the same age and who had been touched by Palestinian terror. ROBERT A. Elana's grandparents, Miriam and Isaac SKLAR Barr of Southfield, arranged for her to meet Editor Bosmat in Israel four weeks ago. With her grandparents acting as translators, Elana became fast friends with a native Israeli thirsting for engaging new encounters. The Barrs timed the trip so they could visit their newest granddaughter, Karene, her par- ents, Tamar and Gil Hermon of Ramat Aviv Gimel, and other Israeli relatives. "Elana and Bosmat hit it off almost imme- diately," says Dr. Barr, a cardiologist and devout Zionist. "Bosmat understands what happened to her brothers and copes with it every day." Bosmat The Nehmads had five children until last year when Palestinian terror changed their lives forever. This latest wave of terror, dating back to September 2000, is waged in the name of Allah with the unconditional intent to drive the Jews from Israel. Over 33 months, terrorism has taken at least 820 Israeli and foreign lives. Countless others have been maimed or left distraught. Confronting Fate Flashback to March 1-2, 2002 Shabbat. That Friday night, the Nehmads were part of a relative's bar mitzvah celebration in Jerusalem's Beit Yisrael neighborhood. The Nehmads' two older boys also attended, thanks to a spe- cial release from their boarding yeshivah. The next evening, 40 members of the extended family regrouped to mark Havdalah. Tragedy hit moments after Ezra, Bosmat's father, who was leading the service, sent his two older boys for wine. As the boys left the synagogue, a terrorist detonated a bomb strapped to his body beside a group of women with baby carriages. "Dalia and Ezra went looking for their boys," Dr. Barr says, "only to find Shauli, 15, dead and Avraham, 7, gravely injured." Nine people died instantly. In addition to Shauli, they were: Shlorno Nehmad, 40, his wife, Gafnit, 32, and their daughters Shiraz, 7, and Liran, 3, of Rishon Le-Zion; Lidor Ilan, 12, and his sister Oriah, 18 months, of Rishon Le-Zion; Tzofia — Ya'arit Eliyahu, 23, and her son Ya'akov Avraham, 7 months, of Jerusalem. Real names. Real people. Bosmat watched in horror but was not hurt. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, tied to Palestinian Authority leader and terror mastermind Yasser Arafat, took responsibility for the bombing. It wasn't until this blast — shocking but no more so than any previous act of Palestinian terror — that the State Department woke up and added the Brigades to the U.S. list of foreign terrorist groups. The group's ideology is rooted in Palestinian nationalism, not political Islam. Just last week, the official P.A. newspaper, AI-Hayat Al- Jadi da reported that a summer camp was newly named for "martyred" Jihad Al Amarin, the Brigades founder who Israel targeted as a defensive killing last year. The toll from the March 2 bombing rose two days later when Avi Hazan, 37, of Moshav Adora died of his injuries. More than 50 people were hurt in the blast, including Bosmat's brother Avi. "Dalia traveled daily from her Rishon Le-Zion home to Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital to visit her son," Dr. Barr says. Avi Nehmad died June 20, 2002, 3 1 6 months after he had the misfortune of going for wine the same time a brainwashed Palestinian youth settled on an ultra-Orthodox street to seek "glory" from "martyrdom." The Aftermath The bomber scarred even those who escaped injury. "Bosmat's father is but a shadow of himself," says Dr. Barr. "He's devastated for taking his sons from boarding school and sending them for wine." As Elana consoled Bosmat, the Barrs comforted Dalia with tales of Jewish resolve, no matter what the horror; Miriam is a Holocaust survivor. I found resonance in Dr. Barr's assessment. "No pills or psychiatric care will bring the dead back," he says, "but in death, they bring strength to those who survived." What can Jews in Israel and the diaspora alike do to harness this strength? Dr. Barr puts it eloquently: "Give your family your love and compassion. Educate them about our tradition and to respect it. Be Elana strong in your belief that Israel will prevail." With justification, Dr. Barr traces the blood of Bosmat's older brothers to Yasser Arafat's doorstep. "Arafat was always consistent in his plan to destroy Israel," says Dr. Barr. "No coexistence was ever on his agenda. He is a master of deception, manipulation and intrigue. He will not hesitate to kill Palestinian dissidents. His secret police are everywhere, allowing a revolving door for Palestinian criminals and terrorists. He violated every agreement with Israel and brought on the Palestinians the worst hardship possible." With Elana's blessing, the Barrs brightened Bosmat's future by setting up a higher education trust in her behalf. Says Mickey Firsht about her daughter, away at summer camp: "Elana was very sad after she met Bosmat. The idea that two of her brothers died, as well as other family mem- bers, was hard to imagine. Elana felt that we should help Bosmat and her family. They are not well off financially, and now her father has fallen apart emotionally. "I think Elana has gained some appreciation for the life she leads." ❑ IT'S NOT ABOUT MAMMA MIA. Ifc about ax, Mares and Mollie ifi601 liv6c. JARC'S 23rd ANNUAL FALL FUNDRAISER! A NEW MUSICAL •1"::::Z ,. MBA MR; Fisher Theatre Sunday, Nov. 2 1:30 PM • 7:30 PM TICKETS AT www.jarc.org OR (248) 538-6610 Ext. 418 pre For 34 years, helping people with disabilities be fully included in community life 7/25 2003 5