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Gil Troy is a professor of history at McGill University in Montreal. He is the author of published by Gefen.
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By Gil Troy
May 19, 2002
Originally published in The Wall Street Journal, May 13, 2002.
Last week's lethal suicide bombing at a billiard hall in the working class Israeli town of Rishon Letzion once again shifted the focus in the Middle East from peace to war. It should be clear to all Americans, and especially to New Yorkers and Washingtonians, how to respond to this unprecedented wave of serial terror unleashed against the Jewish state. The time has come to set up the Israeli equivalent of a Twin Towers Fund, for all the victims of Palestinian terror. Yes, it is up to political leaders and military experts to develop the most effective way to squelch terrorism. But individuals of good conscience donating time, skill, and money can also help repudiate terrorism as a tactic.
The hundreds of millions of dollars that flowed into the various funds established for the Sept. 11 victims did nothing to defeat Osama Bin Laden. All the good will in the world could not displace the Taliban from Afghanistan. Still, the massive outpouring of good wishes and money made two powerful statements that resonated throughout the world. The message to the victims was: "You are not alone." The message to the terrorists was: "Your tactics are so barbaric, they obscure - and damage - whatever cause you were trying to advance."
The civilized world must deliver two similar messages to the Middle East. Israelis are feeling embattled and abandoned. Over 50 Israelis were murdered during the holiday of Passover itself, 127 were murdered in March, and nearly 500 have been murdered since Yasser Arafat rejected the Camp David offers and chose terrorism rather than negotiations.
Last week's billiard club bombing adds 16 more names to a long and depressing list of innocent lives snuffed out. Nir Lobatin, 29, leaves behind a wife who, after four years of trying, is on pregnancy bed rest expecting twins. Anat Trumporush, 36, had just phoned her 10-, seven-, and five-year old sons to wish them good night. The next day, her husband Danny asked from his hospital bed, "How do I tell my children they don't have a mother?" Shoshana Magmari, 51, was celebrating, on her first night out "with the girls," having just successfully completed two years of breast cancer treatment. Pazit and Moshe Korman were out celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary. Pazit, 25, has undergone three surgeries in 36 hours; Moshe is in a coma.
As we well know, each name represents a family devastated, a world destroyed. The immediate survivors must know that the world has not abandoned them. The 3,500 innocent bystanders who have been maimed or traumatized, the hundreds of thousands who are living in fear, must know that they are not alone.
Moreover, a worldwide embrace of the Israeli victims would make it clear that bombings of Sbarro pizzerias and Passover Seders, of cafes and supermarkets, of restaurants and discos, are illegitimate, no matter what the cause. Support for the victims of these atrocities need not be political. Donating to the Israeli victims' fund does not have to constitute an endorsement of Ariel Sharon nor a rejection of Palestinian nationalism. It is the tactic-terrorism-and the idea-anti-Semitism-that must be repudiated.
The truth is that a massive infusion of cash would also do a world of good. Americans now understand the deleterious ripple effect catastrophic terrorism has on a society. Widows and orphans often need help making ends meet. Those who "only" were injured often face painful and expensive rehabilitation. Rescue workers themselves are often traumatized and need counseling. Equipment must be replaced. New ambulances and mobile trauma units could shorten response times and save lives.
Beyond the physical and psychic wounds is tremendous economic damage. Shopkeepers in central Jerusalem are begging the municipality for tax relief, because people are afraid to shop downtown. Some restaurateurs and cafe owners have started adding security charges, beyond tax and tip, to help pay for the armed guards posted at the door. Beyond that, the loss of tourism, the skittish investors, the distracted workers, all contribute to a recession.
After dithering for too long, the organized Jewish community is beginning to mobilize and raise funds. For months, a small grassroots initiative, the Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund-One Family, has spearheaded the drive to support the victims, raising over $2.5 million. Last month the United Jewish Communities umbrella group of Jewish federations announced a multimillion-dollar campaign to raise money for Israel, including some earmarked for victims.
These Jewish initiatives, while salutary, will lack the universality of a broad-based fund supported by all concerned citizens. To drive home the message as well as raise the money, a prominent figure should take the lead, be it ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, ex-President George H.W. Bush, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, or Rev. Billy Graham.
Democracies such as the United States and Israel are particularly vulnerable to terrorism. Terrorists know how to abuse the openness essential to democratic societies, while democratic individualism magnifies the impact of each death, of each casualty. But democracies also have vast resources that can be mobilized in the fight against terror.
After Sept. 11, good people throughout the world enveloped grieving Americans in a massive and welcome group hug. It is time for Americans-and the rest of the world to do the same for grieving Israelis.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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