10 | DECEMBER 8 • 2022
essay
Feelings and Thoughts
on a Day of Terror
T
his wasn’t a day we
ever dreamed of …
even in our worst
nightmares. On the morning
of Nov. 23, our 18-year-old
daughter Naomi walked to
her regular
Jerusalem
bus stop to
commute to her
national service
job in Beit
Shemesh. As
she approached
the stop, a
Palestinian
terrorist detonated a bomb
packed with nails and other
shrapnel. One of the pieces
flew at Naomi, hitting her,
but not seriously. She felt
ringing in her ears but wasn’t
hurt. Naomi texted our
family WhatsApp group that
there’d been a bombing and
she was fine.
There hadn’t been a
bombing in years. I was sure
she was mistaken. None of
the news sites had the story,
but her next text said she
was in an ambulance on the
way to the hospital. My wife,
Aliza, and I met Naomi at
the hospital, saw the wound
wasn’t serious, and waited
while she was interviewed
by doctors, Shabak, the
police, social workers and
psychologists. After six
hours, Naomi was released
and we drove home, thankful
that Naomi was okay.
One of my teachers, Dr.
Gil Troy, sent me an email
suggesting our family go out
and celebrate immediately.
We thought that was a great
idea, and other than one
daughter who was in transit
to New York, we all agreed
to meet in Jerusalem for a
celebratory dinner.
At dinner, each member of
our family spoke about what
they were grateful for that
day. Naomi’s words of being
grateful for a supportive
family really hit home for
all of us. The whole family
quickly realized that just
being ourselves was a big
help to Naomi.
We committed to
commemorate Erev Rosh
Chodesh Kislev each year
together as a day to offer
thanks to Hashem. Very
conscious that all too many
of our friends commemorate
annual yahrzeits of their terror
victims, we’re grateful to be
able to celebrate each year.
Throughout the day,
I received dozens of
media requests. I wasn’t
going to agree to any of
them, but Aliza thought
it was important that I
humanize the attack for
people. I had seen victim’s
families provide the nation
with encouragement at
frightening times and wanted
to try to help our country.
As the day progressed, I
gave interviews to countless
media outlets in Israel, and
as the world woke up, to
outlets as far away as Brazil
and Miami. As the day went
on, my random thoughts
coalesced, and I recognized
my feelings. I’d like to share
them here.
I felt sad because of what
had happened and angry at
those who caused it. Most
of all, I felt terrified. Not the
terror of what could happen
in the future, but of what I
almost lost. Terror sweeps
over me and overwhelms
me. I cry and can’t breathe.
It’s indescribable. I began
recognizing the situation
could’ve been much worse.
A nail flying an inch or
two higher or lower and
I’d have been sitting shivah
instead of offering thanks
Security personnel at the scene of a terror attack near the entrance to Jerusalem, Nov. 23, 2022.
PHOTO BY OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90.
PURELY COMMENTARY
continued on page 12
Rabbi Uri
Pilichowski
JNS.org