The Vigil
 View approaching the vigil
from the back. |
 View from the side
note how far back the 2002-3 section goes |
 Memorializing Yonatan Vermullen
and Gad Marasha |
 Memorializing Shmuel Akiva Weiss
and Matanya Robinson |
I visited the BZD Vigil in memory of Israel's terror victims of the past four years on Tuesday, Tisha B'Av. I went with my two youngest children. My five year old kept on picking out the pictures of babies. I hadn't realized how many children that young had been killed in the terror onslaught. When he pointed to one of the victims on the Number 2 bus last year, I pointed out to him that a few months earlier we had been on the same route. I don't know if he understood that.
I talked with Arian Aronhime about the vigil. She has been a part of all four vigils. We agreed that the first year, we had no idea how long this would go on. A hundred or so were killed that first year. We probably didn't believe that the situation could get worse. But if you look at the two top pictures here, you can see how many more people were killed from 2002 to 2003 than in any of the other years. The terror was worse and Israeli soldier fought in combat.
In the early years, I knew many of the names and their stories. Now I don't.
The first of the vigil I memorialized
Yonatan Vermeulen and
Gad Marasha. Gad was one of the highest ranking Ethiopians in the army and the leader of a squad of trackers. Trackers are usually Bedouin. He won their respect for not eating in front of them during Ramadan. Yonatan was the son Dutch missionaries who decided that Israel was his home and got dispensation from Queen Beatrice so that he would not have to serve in the Dutch army and could, instead, serve in the IDF. After his service he joined the border police as a sapper.
The second year I memorialized
Shmuel Akiva Weiss and
Matanya Robinson. Matanya Robinson might not have been in Israel, but his mother was inspired to make Aliyah when she heard Shmuel Weiss's father speak at her youth group. During the battle of Jenin, Matanya was shot. Shmuel saw him and, being a medic, went to help. On the way he too was shot. (An Israeli medic doesn't have international protection.)
I have not participated on that level last year or this. But it's still sobering to see the number of signs. Each one is another one who was killed. Simply for being an Israeli.
There are other noble and heroic people whose stories I remember. There's
Chaim Smadar who probably save a score of people knowing that he was likely going to die when he struggled with a teenage girl who was strapped with explosives. He couldn't save
Rachel Levy, but he saved the people inside the store.
There's
Dr. Shmuel Gillis who was known for his compassionate care for all his patients, Jew and Arab. My brother told me I would be able find papers he had written easily. I found quite a few with very little effort.
I'm not going to go on, but you get the point. There are so many to remember. Go to
In Memory of the Victims of Palestinian Violence and Terrorism in Israel and pick out some names. Look at the lives that have been shortened by the senseless hatred of Israel and Jews. If you couldn't be at the vigil, spend some time and remember.
Posted by SoccerDad at July 28, 2004 06:00 AM
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