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CNN Live Today

Hebrew University Campus Remains Saturated With Grief and Shock

Aired August 01, 2002 - 12:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A Hebrew University campus remains saturated with grief and shock today as the bodies of the victims of yesterday's bombing are sent home, and police reveal new details of that crime. Departure ceremony is planned at Ben Gurion Airport for the five Americans who are among the seven fatalities of an attack at a school cafeteria.

Police say the device was set off via cell phone.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's final exam time of summer school in the international students program at Hebrew University.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened? What happened to you?

What -- what was first word?

KESSEL: The first sentence in Arabic translation class red, "I went to visit my friend." Michal Kanovsky from Maryland is graduate student in Middle East studies. Several of Michal's friends were among the wounded.

MICHAL LEAH KANOVSKY, STUDENT: These people who yesterday were walking around, and yesterday were alive and yesterday were doing things productive things. Yesterday, I saw in -- I saw just all over. I saw in here, I saw in the building, and now they're not, and that's it. They're just not. They're not here. They're not alive anymore. And I can't trade places with them in my mind, because I can't picture myself in that situation, but that's what I was thinking; I was thinking they no longer are here. You know, that's it.

Yonit Gales is also a graduate students from Johns Hopkins.

YONIT GALES, STUDENT: We heard the blast and then we saw the cars coming over, and the police and the Army, and a lot of it, the first hour or so was just trying it make sure that everyone you know is OK and that everyone who is worried about you knows that you are OK. You are just sort of running on adrenaline. And then afterwards, you deal with it for a little while, and you -- I started studying for my test and started talking to my friends and seeing who needed a little bit of extra support.

KESSEL: One way of helping each other, to talk together, to try to understand the implications of Wednesday's attack. Jennifer Elinor hopes one day to serve as American diplomat in the Middle East. She has tattoos on both arms, one in Hebrew, one in Arabic.

JENNIFER ELINOR, STUDENT; It's very difficult at times, I'm sure. I take a lot of difficulty for having these, but I really do believe that both cultures have a lot to offer, and I'm so sad at seeing them fighting like this.

KESSEL: Umar Othman, an Israeli Arab, has been their Arabic teacher for the past six weeks.

UMAR OTHMAN, HEBREW UNIVERSITY: This is a situation in the Middle East, I'm sorry, and people are killed from both sides, and these are just victims. And I hope the time is to sit both sides, the Palestinians and the Israelis, to sit together and finish this, it's enough. It is really fed up with it.

KESSEL: But for now, most here say they see no workable way that's going to lead out of this painful situation.

Jerrold Kessel, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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