Our Heroes and Theirs
Jerusalem, September 10, 2003
[Editor’s Note: Last Tuesday night, September 9, a Palestinian suicide-terrorrist set off a bomb at Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem. The following was written by Jan Medved, an Israeli businessman whose son was one of the first upon the scene.]
Last night’s terror struck close to home.
The boom of the blast at Cafe Hillel on Emek Refaim Street shook the windows of our house and left no doubt that we were hit again — this time in our own neighborhood.
Our son Yossi was on the phone with his brother Momo, asking when he would be back so they could watch another episode on DVD of 24, the addictive US series about terrorism.
Talking with Yossi on his cell phone, Momo was crossing Emek Refaim, which is two blocks from our house, and they both heard the blast. Momo, 16, is a trained Paramedic with Magen David Adom, took out his plastic gloves which he keeps in his school backpack, and began to run the block to the cafe, to help with the injured. Yossi ran out the door with my wife Jane to find Momo.
Momo was one of the first to arrive at the scene. As he described it later, it was a scene straight out of Dante. Victims were screaming and strewn about. A group of bystanders was attempting to put out a fire that was consuming a man. Amputated legs and arms were lying in pools of blood. A man’s head was in the middle of the street.
Momo acted according to the training he received this summer, in a course designed to teach him how to handle these kind of events. As soon as the lead ambulance arrived he was told who to evacuate and he helped carry the injured on stretchers. Within ten minutes it was over, and the amazing Israeli emergency medical teams had again acted with alacrity and professionalism. His mother and brother found him covered with victims’ blood and walked him home.
I was in my office when the blast hit, and was frantic with worry because I could not find anyone by phone. Finally I got a call from Yossi telling me that our family was OK and that we would meet at home.
Getting home and seeing your teen-age son’s clothes splattered with blood of a terror attack, is a parental experience I will not forget. The relief of seeing him unhurt mixed together with the pain and outrage and grief of an attack so close to home.
After Momo showered, we together watched on TV the surreal scenes of our beautiful neighborhood hit, hurt and bleeding. Momo was curled up with his dog Lucy, hugging her and trying to regain some semblance of normalcy. A sixteen year-old boy, having done his heroic work and having seen scenes that one should never see, was trying to return to what’s left of his adolescence.
We watched the scenes of jubilation in Gaza, with thousands of Palestinians taking to the streets in spontaneous celebration, delirious with joy at the “quality” attacks. Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and others praised the “bravery” of the suicide bombers and shouted their satisfaction. Yassin in particular mentioned the “great” Abu Shanab, the “engineer” of dozens of Israeli deaths whose death was now avenged. [Note: Hamas terrorist Ismail Abu Shanab was killed in an Israeli raid on August 21, 2003.]
I was struck by the contrast between the two societies. Our heroes were out on Emek Refaim and at the bus stop at Tzrifim fighting to save lives, to practice emergency medicine, to reduce casualties. The Palestinians’ heroes were sowing death and destruction, to practice the science of terror.
This morning as the bright Jerusalem sun came up again over our neighborhood, most of the outward signs of destruction had been washed away and cleaned up. Despite the continued terror alerts and torrent of news about yesterday’s attacks, the children need to go to school, and we all need to get on with our lives.
But the news contained more bitter tidings that took your breath away. Among the dead in last night’s blast was Dr. David Applebaum and his daughter Nava. Nava was due to be married tonight in a joyous wedding of 500 guests. David was a doctor of emergency medicine who was a fixture in Jerusalem’s medical scene, having treated hundreds of terror victims. He was the founder of Terem, Jerusalem’s private emergency medical clinic, and my best friend’s partner. He was a learned man, a kind man, a tzaddik. He was a true hero of Jerusalem.
I am letting Momo “sleep in” this morning. I tried to wake him but he said he needed some more rest. His teacher from school just called to say that he heard from Momo’s friends that he had a “tough night” and was among the first on the terror scene. He suggested that after we attend this morning’s funeral for Dr. Applbaum and his daughter that I take him to school, so he can be with his friends and talk out what has happened. My son and his friends, true heroes of Jerusalem.