By COLlive reporter
The United States condemned as “despicable” the terror attack in Jerusalem that claimed the life of a 3-month-old girl, Chaya Zissel Braun hy”d, who is reported to be an American citizen.
She was killed when an Arab driver crashed his car into the light rail stop near Ammunition Hill, in northern Jerusalem, Wednesday afternoon as passengers were disembarking. Eight people were injured, JTA reported.
Hours after the attack, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement, “The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem.”
Psaki said: “We express our deepest condolences to the family of the baby, reportedly an American citizen, who was killed in this despicable attack, and extend our prayers for a full recovery to those injured.”
But when Uri Holtzman, the Lubavitcher Councilman of the city of Beitar Illit, got an email from the American consulate in Jerusalem, he was infuriated.
The security message, to alert U.S. citizens in the area, began with the words “Following the incident…”
Holtzman said he couldn’t contain himself when he read it. “As a Jew and a loyal American citizen, I protest the callous behavior of my consulate to knowingly distort the cold-blooded murder of an American civilian Jewish baby,” he said.
He fired off an email to the consulate: “How dare you call the cold-blooded murder of a helpless baby ‘an incident’? I am ashamed of you as representatives of our country,” he wrote.
Holtzman says that the next update he got from the consulate already had different wording.
“Security Message: Update on Vehicular Terrorist Attack, Light Rail Restrictions, and Expected Clashes. A terrorist attack occurred yesterday near French Hill’s Light Rail Station, killing an infant and injuring several pedestrians.”
yirbu kimoscho b’yisroel.
a proud friend,sholom dovid
‘Hazak. Nous sommes fièrs de toi!
Tell them it can happen here in USA with any child any street …G-d Forbid
OUR Blood is not…
More than semantics… gotta call out these phrases that minimize and trivialize cold-blooded murder.
this is ADVOCACY at its best. This is how we survive. HaShem sees that we are advocates for each other. THIS is true yiddishkeit. YASHAR KOACH TO HIM
with the rising tide of anti anti semitism, the ever increasing campaign to boycott Israel, should awaking Jews to be more active in combating this hate.
a good start would be to VOTE, politicians only pay attention to voting citizens simple as that,if most of this community does not vote, you loose your voice.
next election is November 4.
Thank you Uri Holtzman for your service to the Jewish people.
We must scream at them when they do stuff like this
C simcha
THATS THE WAY TO ROLL!!!!!!!
i feel so sad for that baby
Yasher Koach for speaking out when things like this occure. We can all take a lesson from you.
yasha co ach!