Tel-Aviv

I spent the last two days in Tel-Aviv at a Fulbright orientation. Tel-Aviv is a very modern city, and in some respects it’s like any city anywhere. But the promenade along the beach is remarkable, as is some of the architecture.

Two days ago a suicide bomber killed five civilians when he exploded in a marketplace in Hadera, a city located midway between Haifa and Tel-Aviv. A representative from the American embassy in Israel informed us of the attack during a security briefing at the Fulbright orientation. This was the first suicide attack that has occurred since I arrived in Israel. I felt very sad for the victims and their families, and I thought of the numerous times I have shopped in similar markets in Haifa and Jerusalem. Of course I am scared of suicide attacks, but I don't allow such brutality to affect the way I live my life here. In many ways I feel safer in Israel than I do in America. I think the suicide bombers greatly underestimate the strength of Israeli society. Israel is a vibrant, prosperous country, and Israelis have not succumbed to fear; if anything, they seem to live more fully in the face of adversity.