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American Morning
Interview with Stephen Flatow
Aired August 01, 2002 - 07:08 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: Once again, Americans have fallen victim to terrorism overseas. Five Americans are now confirmed to be among the seven killed in the bombing at Hebrew University yesterday; 86 people were wounded.
Joining us now is a man who knows all too well the pain of losing a child at the hands of a terrorist. Stephen Flatow's daughter, Alisa, was only 20 when a Palestinian terrorist drove a van filled with explosives into a bus she was riding in Gaza. And he joins us this morning.
Good morning.
STEPHEN FLATOW, FATHER OF TERROR VICTIM: Good morning, Paula.
ZAHN: What was your reaction when you heard about the bombing at Hebrew University?
FLATOW: I thought how low can things get when you attack students at a university that is open to expression, both by Israelis and Arabs, by Jews, by Muslims, by Christians. And I can't think of a sadder set of circumstances.
ZAHN: We just heard the ambassador poignantly say that this is supposed to be a sanctuary for study and a place where you mingled, as you just said, Arabs and Jews and other foreign nationals. And he said it is clear to him this was no accident. This was a calculated move.
FLATOW: The terrorist attacks beginning with my own personal experience in 1995 have been calculated to wreak terror, to wreak havoc. My daughter, Alisa, was riding a public bus that was bombed by Islamic jihad in April of 1995. And what sense is there in attacking a civilian bus? What sense is there in attacking people having pizza in downtown Jerusalem, or students having lunch at a university?
I fail to understand how this can be permitted to go on, and how the world doesn't rise in outrage over these types of incidents.
ZAHN: You were subjected to the horrible pictures of the carnage yesterday, as well as these pictures coming out of the Gaza Strip, where a spontaneous celebration, or a demonstration, if you will, took place in support of Hamas claiming responsibility for the bombing. As you look at this video, what are you thinking? FLATOW: It doesn't offer much hope. We have seen similar videos to this. We even saw it after the September 11 attacks here in New York City. It seems that the Palestinian Authority has abrogated its responsibility to its people to break away from this culture of hate, and get their people on the road to understand that Israel is going to continue to exist, that they are not going to push the Israelis into the sea. And until that lesson is brought home to its people, unfortunately, there is going to be more death and destruction.
ZAHN: Let's talk about your daughter's legacy for a moment. Since her death, you have spent a lot of time raising money for scholarships for students to earn the right to study in Israel.
FLATOW: Yes.
ZAHN: How hard is it to convince kids that they should be going to Israel to take on those studies?
FLATOW: I don't have to convince the kids at all. Last year, right before the intifada, the second intifada got, you know, a full head of steam, and we had over 200 applications, about 320. This year, with everything going on, we had about 310. So the students are scratching their way of how to get to Israel to study. It's the parents that you sometimes have to help coax or convince them that their child's study in Israel will be a positive, affirmative experience for them and their parents.
ZAHN: And you still believe that way, in spite of what happened to your family and despite of what happened to the hundreds of families yesterday affected by this bombing?
FLATOW: Absolutely. And the only thing that keeps my children from going to Israel over and over again is the fact that they are in school, they are recently married or they have jobs. The most recent trip we took was in April with my daughter Alana (ph), who is 20, the same age as Alisa when she was killed, and we went for a long weekend just to be there to give some sort of solidarity message, if I could, you know, be so cavalier.
The -- I will not argue with a parent, however, who says that now is not the time for my child to go to Israel. I can't argue with that parental instinct. All I would say to them is discuss it with your child, explain your concerns and come to a compromise, if it's not this year, maybe next winter or in the summer. But you know, don't cross it off your itinerary, just discuss it with your child.
ZAHN: I know that you live in daily pain, and that probably hasn't receded all that much. What do you want the audience to know about what your daughter's life stood for, and she had to ensure at the hands of terrorists?
FLATOW: Well, Alisa was a good kid. That's the best way I can sum it up. You know, our culture, our society does not prepare us for the loss of a child at an early age. It prepares us for the loss of our parents as they get older. So there are -- generally in this situation the grief never ends. At the very beginning, you have two types of days. You have dark days and even darker days. After time, the knife-edge of the pain gets dull, but it's always with you. You think about your child every day. You think about the manner in which she died every day. And you pray that there is an end to violence in this world.
ZAHN: Well, we appreciate your sharing your story with us this morning.
FLATOW: You're welcome.
ZAHN: Our best to your family.
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