A marathon of a different kind in Jerusalem

March 24, 2011 - 9:50 AM by

The scene after Wednesday's terror attack in Jerusalem as taken by Fox News.

Like Brian recounted, everyone has their stories about yesterday’s terror bomb that exploded in Jerusalem killing a woman, wounding dozens, and throwing many residents back to those dark, Second Intifada days of a decade ago when terror in Jerusalem was rampant.

I had just left home, turned on the car and tuned in the radio – on my 15-minute journey into Jerusalem to pick up my teenage son at Binyanei Hauma, the convention center across from the Central Bus Station – exactly where the bomb exploded.

Hearing the breathless voices on the radio and the words “ambulance,” “Central Bus station” and “Jerusalem” within a few seconds prompted me to immediately stop driving a couple yards from where I had started, and try calling my son. He’s never been early for anything in his life, so I wasn’t so concerned that he was already at our meeting place when the bomb went off… but you never know.

After a few minutes of blocked out phone service, I was able to reach him (he was still at his girlfriend’s house a mile away from the blast) and we canceled our plans, and I turned the car around. I spent the next hour with my wife watching the live TV reports, and getting déjà vu chills from doing the same thing 10 years ago.

Later I called my son and told him I’d drive in to pick him up when the post-attack traffic had cleared, but he said ‘don’t bother, I’ll take the bus.’

My wife and I argued with him at first, since he’d be going to the bomb site to pick up his bus home, but we relented, and a few hour later, he was home. His only comment about the scene he arrived at at the bus station was, “It was cool, I saw the TV crews with the reporters filming right there.”

Whether it was dumb teen immortality delusions or an attitude of ‘they’re not going to change my world,’ his comment reflected the get-on-with business attitude that most Jerusalemites adopted. Mayor Nir Barkat assured everyone that the Jerusalem Marathon on Friday, in which swarms of runners from around the world will be ascending on the capital, will go on as scheduled. And many people on their Facebook status posted that they’d be making a point today of riding the number 74 bus, which was idle, next to the explosion.

Other FB posts focused on Reuters coverage of the attack – particularly the news agency’s insertion of quote marks around the term ‘terror attack.’

Jeffrey Goldberg, blogging in The Atlantic, chided Reuters thusly:

Those Israelis and their crazy terms! I mean, referring to a fatal bombing of civilians as a “terrorist attack”? Who are they kidding? Everyone knows that a fatal bombing of Israeli civilians should be referred to as a “teachable moment.” Or as a “venting of certain frustrations.” Or as “an understandable reaction to Jewish perfidy.” Or perhaps as “a very special episode of ‘Cheers.’” Anything but “a terrorist attack.” I suppose Reuters will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by referring to the attacks as “an exercise in urban renewal.”

Other FB posts took a more general take on the recent ominous upswing in terror incidents directed at Israelis, with many posting the following status

News flash: Family in Laredo, Texas massacred in their sleep, bomb hits bus #74 outside D.C. convention center injuring dozens and killing at least one; dozens of rockets and missiles continue falling in Fairfax, Virginia. Do I have your attention? Is this completely insane and far fetched? Then why is it allowed to happen in Israel??????

It’s a question we’ll continue to ponder as we continue to live our normal lives in this extraordinary place we call home.

Tags: • Category: A New Reality, Blogging, coexistence, General, Israeliness, Life, News, War 

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One Comment on A marathon of a different kind in Jerusalem

  1. Post a bombing | ISRAELITY on Thu, Mar 24th 2011 1:06 PM

    2. [...] and putting them to sleep. I wanted extra hugs and kisses, and thought to myself that I’d never let them ride a bus again, no matter how much they love it. But bottom line, we were getting to do all the regular [...]

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