Posted on 08/01/2003 10:50:35 AM PDT by yonif
Several hundred students and staff members of the Hebrew University as well as members of the local and international community gathered Thursday afternoon in the Nancy Reagan Plaza on the Mount Scopus campus to honor the memories of those murdered in a terrorist attack on July 31, 2002.
Nine people were killed and close to 90 wounded by a powerful bomb placed by Palestinian terrorists in the Frank Sinatra International Student Center.
At 1:30 p.m., the approximate time the bomb exploded last year, Prof. Steve Kaplan, provost of the Rothberg International School at Hebrew University, urged survivors to do more than mourn the loss of those who died. He pledged to "preserve their memory not only in stone, in statues, and inscriptions but through action, to serve our students to the best of our ability and to preserve their legacy for coming generations." "Here we stand, one year later, on a site that symbolizes our courage, our resilience, and our determination," Kaplan said.
The ceremony was attended by Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski and representatives of Turkey, Ireland, Japan, Italy, the United States, and the European Union.
Richard LeBaron, deputy chief of mission of the US Embassy, spoke on behalf of Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer. He called attention to the fact that five victims were American citizens attending the university. LeBaron described "the shared grief of the people of Israel and the US" as "another dimension of our common bond."
"Hebrew University is a symbol of the centrality of Israel to the international community. Even now, after the tragic loss of students and staff, foreign students are still coming and will continue to have a profound educational experience here," LeBaron said.
Kaplan cited a 10 percent rise in foreign student enrollment for the 2003-4 school year. In the past year, the Hebrew University was attended by students from more than 40 different countries.
Indicative of the university's attempt to maintain an atmosphere of coexistence and academic equality was the record number of Palestinian students enrolled in last year's preparatory program and the even larger number that are expected to pursue their studies this year.
"They say more clearly than any press release, any mission statement, we are not a community defined by race and ethnicity, religion or nation," Kaplan said.
LeBaron praised the Hebrew University's historic role as a learning institution of fellowship and opportunity.
"The university is a beacon for students from scores of countries and scholars of international standing who gather here from around the globe for intellectual pursuit. It remains a meeting ground for Israelis, Arabs, Jews, Christians, and Muslims," LeBaron said. "The university was established by men and women of vision who believed in the words of Chaim Weizmann at Hebrew University's inauguration in 1925: 'The university must stand not only for the pursuit of every form of knowledge which the mind of man embraces but also for a commonwealth of learning freely open to every man and woman of every creed and race.'"
A group of students arrived from New York after the ceremony to attend the summer Hebrew-language course prior to beginning their studies. Kaplan described the arrival of this year's students as "one part of our answer to the sons of darkness who staged last year's attack. We have not surrendered to their violence."
And we are currently talking to those responsible and inviting them to the white house!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.