Who are the Victims of Terrorism?

The victims of terrorism, worldwide, are ordinary people going about their lives.

Let’s remember some of them.

They represent a broad cross-section of humanity. They are commuters on the London subway system. And on the trains in Madrid. They are celebrants at a wedding in Amman, Jordan and at a bat mitzvah in Hadera, Israel. They are little kids eating pizza; they are tourists in Bali and Egypt. They are people praying in churches and mosques and synagogues. They are celebrating the Passover Seder.

Even doctors who try to help can become victims.In September of 2003, Dr. Shmuel Gilis was a senior hematologist at the department of hematology at Hadassah. On the night of February 1st, 2001, he was shot and killed in a terror attack. Dr. Gilis was on his way home after a long working day at the hospital. His last patient that day was a Palestinian.

Dr. David Applebaum, the head of the ER deparment at Shaare Zedek Medical Center was murdered along with his 20 year old daughter, Naava. They were in Café Hillel in Jerusalem. Naava was to be married the next day. Dr. Applebaum had saved countless lives – Jewish, Christian and Muslim – during his career, but his life ended when a terrorist walked into the cafe and exploded. In Beslan, Russia, terrorists killed 344 innocent people, including 186 children, all held hostage in an elementary school. And on September 11 th 2001, terrorists murdered almost 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.

The purpose of terrorism is to create victims. The goal is to murder and maim as many innocent people as possible. It is a political tool that has worldwide appeal, because it works. We have allowed it to work by not condemning and isolating those who use it. Terrorism has destroyed thousands of innocent lives in the past six years alone. Civilized people everywhere must condemn terrorism. We must speak in one voice. There is no excuse for terrorism - ever.