Letter From LA:

APATHY FOR LA JEWISH TERROR VICTIMS AN EMBARRASSMENT

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, I attended two Services for the two victims of the homicidal death of the LAX shooting at the El Al counter. One a memorial service for Yaakov Aminov A"H, at the synagogue that he belonged and was one of the founders, in N. Hollywood. The second, a funeral for the second victim, Victoria Hen at Eden Memorial Park.

I am not a writer or pretend to be one. This is one of those times that I am writing out of anger and frustration. My anger about the terror attack and now, my anger and frustration at the Los Angeles Jewish Community, to the people and it's leaders. I am not addressing this letter to any particular individual but to all of the Jews of Los Angeles.

WHERE WERE YOU, YESTERDAY, SUNDAY, JULY 7, 2002?

I am sure many of you were busy with things like, family, soccer, basketball, softball game, or maybe you were gardening in your backyard. I am sure that everyone had a reason why they were not at the Memorials.

For the past two years we have all been reading, watching, discussing, participating in petitions, regarding the war going on in Israel. We watch the news on TV at the two seconds they show of the funerals of the victims. Men, women, and children die everyday in Israel, day in and day out. We talk and coordinate Solidarity Missions to Israel, where everyone says they want to visit the hospitals and the family of the victims.
All very honorable.

Last Thursday, July 4th; the unimaginable happened in Los Angeles, I am from Los Angeles, so this happened in my backyard. A lone gunman entered LAX, International terminal and went directly to the El AL Counter. For those of you not familiar with our International Terminal let me describe it. You walk in, and not like your average terminals, the counters are not straight ahead of you, here there are aisles and the counters are on both side of you, now El Al is at the very end of the aisle, you would have to walk by at least 4 other airline counters in order to get to El Al.

Therefore this terrorist walked in and went directly to the El Al counter and started shooting. He had in mind to kill Jews. The FBI called it a hate crime, an isolated incident, not a terrorist act. I always thought that a hate crime is described as when you find graffiti, vandalized and so on, on your Institution. Terrorize is described in The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary as; to fill with terror: to coerce by threat or violence.

This madman came with two guns, extra clips for the guns, and a knife. He entered the terminal walked straight to the El Al counter and started killing Jews. He terrorized the airport. Thank God for the rapid response of the El Al security agents who shot him dead, seconds from when he started shooting, that we do not have more dead. If this is not TERRORISM I do not know what is then.

How many of us have given rides to a friend or relative to the Airport, this could have been any one of us that got shot and killed.

Yesterday, Sunday, we all had a chance to show our Solidarity with the victims' family. LA has the second largest Jewish community in the nation. It was a boosha, an embarrassment to see such few Jews. Well, maybe the Memorial Service for Yaakov Amoniv A"H, was to early in the morning, 8:30 AM, (if you believe that, do I have a car to sell you). Many Jewish Leaders from the Valley were there, including Rabbi Marvin Heir, as well as dignitaries from the State and the Mayor of Los Angeles. We listened to the speakers; we heard the family cry. There wasn't a dry eye in the parking lot where the Memorial was held. When it was over, as we walked behind the body as it was being escorted to the hearse to be transported to the airport to take it for burial in Israel. I met and talked to various friends. I mentioned that this is what Israeli's go through day in and day out, we got to feel what they are going through.

At two o'clock I was once again at a memorial and burial of the other shooting victim, Victoria Hen. What can I say, another Boosha, embarrassment! Rabbi Marvin Heir was once again their, John Fischel, VP of the LA Jewish Federation, and various leaders of the LA Jewish community, including the Mayor of LA for the second time in one day. I don't care what anyone says, he could have sent an assistant to be there, but he didn't, he came. Call it what you want. In the morning someone mentioned that he was not tough enough in his condemnations in his speech. All I can say is, he was there for both Memorials, and that counts in my book. I went upto him and I thanked him for coming as other people surrounded him, I said it loud so other people would get the message, they did and everyone followed suit.

The funeral just like in the morning, not a dry eye. How can Israeli's endure such suffering? Here I went to two memorials and it drained me, Israeli's live it everyday, with multiple ones each day at times.

To think that this could not happened again is to live out of reality. This Egyptian born terrorist had a hate for Jews. He got up that morning and said enough with the Jews I am going to kill them or he could have been a sleeper, as it's coming out now, his connections with Al Quida. He went to a place he knew the terrain and knew that many Jews would be there. He was a limo driver, driving people to the airport, and killed JEWS.

Back to my question, where was Los Angeles Jewish Solidarity?
No, they were not at the memorials. What's the different between these victims and the ones in Israel? The ones in Israel everyone would like to go on a Solidarity Mission and visit with the families and the injured, but not in your backyard?

I left the airport angry with the Arabs and frustrated with the LA Jewish community. I can't believe that all the spiritual leaders of LA where at a Rabbi's Convention. Yes, where were the Rabbi's, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist?
The terrorist didn't check the victims before he shot them, to what movement they belonged. He shot them because they were JEWS! It wouldn't had hurt to cancel what you had for that day and attend at least one of the memorials. You could still do what you needed to do the following Sunday. These two families can't do that, their lives have changed forever, and so the least we could have done is cancel our Sunday plans. Where were all the organizations that want to go to rallies and so on? It must have been a very busy day in LA yesterday.

On the way home from the funeral, I was angry. I am a victim of a terror act, in Jerusalem, where 16 people died and I was the sole survivor of this barbaric act. I felt yesterday just as I did at that time, hating all Arabs.

I don't know if this was a message from God, I had a blow out, my tire melted and blew on the freeway, thank God nothing happened, I was able to go to the side. Once I calmed myself, I called my Road Service Company; they arrived in 18 minutes. The irony to this story is that the repairman that came to change my tire was a Muslim. We exchanged some pleasantries and he proceeded with his work, at the end he wished me a nice day. I don't know if this was a message from God to tell me that not all people are evil. I proceeded home and rented a Disney movie and watched it that evening with my son.
In which we both laughed out loud.

I don't know about you but, I would like to go outside and yell, I have had enough and I am not going to take it any more!

The Human mind is an intelligent mind; lets all sit together and find a solution. I for one know we can do it.

I apologize if I offended anyone, again as I previously mentioned this is not toward any particular individual but to the LA Community as a whole.
I also understand that AmramReports is supposed to have reports about the Arab Israeli conflict, this one time is the exception.

Amram H.
Exec. Director
B'nai David-Judea Congregation
8906 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
email - Bnaidavid@directvinternet.com