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American Morning

Interview With Richard Blutstein

Aired August 02, 2002 - 07:40   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, more about the aftermath of the bloody bombing Wednesday at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. The bodies of the five Americans who died are starting to come home.

Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed a total of seven people, injuring over 80. And two of those bodies arrived in New York just a short time ago at JFK Airport. One was that of Benjamin Blutstein from Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. He was 25 years old. He was in Jerusalem on a study program.

He wanted to teach Jewish studies, but his life was cut short at the hands of a terrorist, and his father, Richard Blutstein, joins me now from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Good morning -- thank you very much for being with us.

RICHARD BLUTSTEIN, FATHER OF BOMB VICTIM: Good morning.

ZAHN: What do you want our audience to know about your son, Ben?

BLUTSTEIN: Well, he was -- he was on a spiritual journey, and he felt the need to be in Jerusalem to study Judaism. And he had several different interests that were almost paradoxical.

His other major interest was to be a deejay of hip-hop music. He actually, at least last year when there was still a night life in Jerusalem, he had a regular stop at an Arab-owned nightclub one or two nights a week.

And he -- actually I was visiting him in May, and he was invited by a rapper friend of his to appear with him at the rave against the occupation. And then the politics were not at all like that, but his music was very important to him. And so he drove into Tel Aviv and then provided the musical backup for the rapper at the rave. And actually the band that followed his was an Arab rap group. And he was somewhat critical of them, not because of their politics, but because of their musical style. He thought they yelled too much.

And Ben was full of life. He was able to, you know, make a room a very positive place. Actually the day after we were in Tel Aviv for the rave, we spent the next day, Shevat, at Mitzbe Areca (ph), there were some friends of ours on the West Bank. And you know, just as he didn't go to the rave because of the politics, he didn't go the West Bank because of the politics. He went there because those were his friends. And so, his spiritual quest sort of transcended politics.

ZAHN: Although he is described as very much as pacifist, he obviously couldn't escape the politics of the Middle East. How much did he express to you any fear he might have of being in Jerusalem at this time of heightened tensions?

BLUTSTEIN: He really didn't express fear. He expressed a need to be there, and just the internal confidence that this was the place he needed to be. So most of our conversations centered around how he could be as safe as possible, rather than whether or not he should be there. That was something he just knew.

ZAHN: Because of the deep wounds your family are suffering now, I'm just wondering how it has changed the way you think about any prospects for peace in the Middle East?

BLUTSTEIN: Well, not really. I think -- I was very hopeful two years. Two years ago, there were no Israeli troops in the Palestinian cities, and Barak had made an unprecedented offer. And unfortunately, Arafat didn't make a counteroffer. He walked out and let his -- let the known terrorists that he had in his jails out.

And I am concerned either that Arafat never intended to make peace with Israel, or that perhaps he changed his mind after Israel pulled out of Lebanon. But it seems that the current Palestinian goal is not co-existence with Israel, which they could have had two years ago, but the destruction of the Jewish Israeli state. And...

ZAHN: In closing this morning -- oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Blutstein. Just a final thought about the -- when people talk about your son, they talk about how gifted he was with children. What would your son want us to know about the special affinity he had for children and his desire to teach?

BLUTSTEIN: Well, yes, I mean, when he was -- when he was home on vacations, he would -- people would gravitate to the house. He organized both pickup football games in the backyard, as well as study sessions of turkiavote (ph) for the boys of our community.

ZAHN: Well, you are very gracious to join us with your memories of your son this morning. Richard Blutstein, thank you very much for joining us. Our thoughts are with your family as you go through this very difficult period of time.

BLUTSTEIN: Thank you.

ZAHN: Take care.

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