Israeli Bombing:
Blown Out of Proportion

By Jonathan Feldheim '98
When travelling abroad, upon telling a foreigner that you are from the United States, do you ever laugh when they ask how we live in such a violent nation? We laugh because the notion that we live in fear is silly to us. How could these people be so ignorant as to ask such a question?

This is also the case with the State of Israel. The July 30th bombing which killed 13 people was a tragic act of terrorism, yet it does not even begin to delineate Israeli life. Touring in Israel at the time of the bombing, I realized that however terribly the media may have portrayed the event, life in the State did not slow for one day as a result. Most representative of this fact is that the religious shopping area that was bombed opened for business the next day. It was only the influence of many frantic, uninformed, American parents that caused any change in security for people like myself while on tour in Jerusalem.

Israel is as modern as the United States, and terrorist bombings are not a means of negotiation. Israelis live in no more fear of violence or danger than we do. In almost all cases, contrary to what television would have Americans believe, Jews and Palestinians (Arabs living in Israel) not only get along together, but depend upon one another for their livelihood. Most importantly, barring the very small minority of fanatics, who coincidentally are the people who we see on television at a disproportionate rate, the goal of the Israelis is peace.

Remember that it is very easy for people from other nations to view us as we view them. When foreigners form their opinion of the US based on news of an Asian student killed for knocking on the wrong door, or 160 people killed by a crazy bomber, can we really blame them for believing the worst? The media is to blame.

As Americans, we are misinformed about the affairs of Israel. It is essential that we not only judge the news we see but also the news we don't see. Only then can we form more intelligent opinions concerning the issues of foreign countries such as Israel. Why was the bombing the biggest news from Israel during the summer and worthy enough to discuss in a school paper? Perhaps because it's the first one in Israel in over four years. The truth is, Israel is a beautiful, peaceful state. It may be the size of New Jersey, but it is no armpit.