Fate?
Life is not fair. Few of us need to be told or reminded of this. We live it. But none so much as Anat Rosenberg. She was born in Israel but had lived in London for the last 18 years. Her parents remained in Jerusalem, but she was too scared of the terrorism to go visit. The day of the attacks, her boyfriend suggested she take a bus, since the tube was being attacked. She was the one Israeli casualty in the 7/7 attacks. Life is not fair.
posted by Esther @ 1:21 PM
15 comments
15 Comments:
This is such a terrible story and it was uncannily reminiscent of "Appointment in Samara" by Somerset Maugham.
There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions and, in a little while, the servant came back white and trembling and said "Master, just now when I was in the marketplace, I was jostled by a woman in the crowd and when I turned I saw it was Death that jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture. Now, lend me your horse and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samara and there Death will not find me." The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it,and as fast as the horse could gallop he went. Then, the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw Death and said, "Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?" "That was not a threatening gesture," Death said. "It was only a start of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appoint with him tonight in Samara."
What a shocking story.
All she wanted was peace.
Esther,
This is such a touching story and very sad. Nevertheless, I'm glad you shared this story, though I can't find the words to explain exactly why.
Many of my students visit Israel. All have returned safely--so far.
Very sad.
Like Richie Valens had a fear of flying, this poor girl had a fear of bombings. That which they feared the most, was the very thing that caused both their demises.
That makes it even sadder than it already was, to begin with.
"DAMN!
Life imitates ...
Truth is stranger than fiction, and life is full of irony.
During the Civil War, the battle of Bull Run was fought on a guy`s farm, and this fellow, hating war, sold his property and moved to a little town called Appomattox. His house was used as Grant`s HQ.
History is replete with such stories. It`s so sad that this woman had to follow suit.
To echo Rory's comment, I've heard that we often meet our fate on the road we take to avoid it. Heartwrenching but excellent post, Esther.
Timothy,
Great bit of trivia about Civil War sites!
Esther, we all know that life isn't fair, but sometimes a particular incident will remind us just how unfair it truly is. This is a particularly sad and striking one.
But I wonder how many other refugees from conflicts may have died? London is a polyglot city and has been a refuge for many. I guess we all need to face the reality that we can't hide from this one.
Esther
I am sure you read about the NYC resident who fled NYC and died in London.People in VT ask me all the time about fate and my experiences.
Yet when your number is up it doesn't matter where you are. The reality is I survived WTC 93 and was an eyewitness to 9-11. Yet I could die in a swimming hole or highwayin VT. That is why we should live each and every day and always stop and tell those around us we love them.
It is extremely sad. What a horrible well to have to bring their child home.
Rory, that is uncannily similar. How sad.
Felis, lasunsett, patrick, SA, gindy, jonathan, rachel ann....it is truly heartbreaking...
AOW, I'll leave you with this comment from a terrorism expert I heard one night at an AIPAC event. He said he was asked if it's too dangerous to go to Israel. He said, "Yes -- Israelis are terrible drivers. In the worst year of the Intifada, 300 people were killed. That same year, 600 died from car accidents. Yes, be scared of Israel -- they're terrible drivers." :)
Timothy -- I didn't know that! Very interesting. Thanks for sharing it.
MoM -- you're so right. And the sooner people realize we can't hide from it, perhaps we'll gather the strength needed to fight it full force.
Beak -- I hadn't heard about the New Yorker! But why would you flee to London? Would have been smarter to move to Idaho or some place like that. Hmm...
I am a big believer in the Fates... Having survived the Malibu fires (watched as helicopters dropped water on it about a mile away), my own apartment house fire (crazy upstairs neighbor started it), floods, LA riots, earthquakes, etc...
Esther, you're absolutely right about the terrible toll that car accidents take in Israel. My husband's uncle owned two driving schools and his students nearly drove him (no pun intended) to distraction. The interesting thing is that the requirements for getting a license are considerably stricter in Israel than they are in this country. You have to have a certain number of hours of instruction from a professional driving school as opposed to here where anybody can teach someone to drive. The problem seems to be more the fact that Israelis tend to have a certain disdain for rules and regulations and when it comes to driving, that attitude can be deadly.
"Fair"? What would fair be? If she had stayed, lulei demistafina, in Israel and was blown up in Jerusalem? If a lifelong Londoner dies is it more fair?
There were stories of Israelis, fresh out of Tzahal, who were killed in the tsunami in Thailand. Is that a more or less fair way to die.
The Talmud states that to the Angel of Death "mah li hachah, mah li hasam"--essentially, "whether here or there."
The bottom line is that we must live good, moral lives as long as we have life, and recognize that every breath is a precious gift from the A-mighty.
Hashem yikom damam--May G-d avenge their blood!
Fuck. Pardon my french but that's just not fair.
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