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CNN Live Sunday

American Victims of Last Week's Bombing in Jerusalem Remembered

Aired August 04, 2002 - 18:08   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We have more now on the Middle East situation. A piece just came into the CNN center from Brian Palmer. Across the U.S., American victims from an earlier bombing in Jerusalem are being remembered this weekend. The bombing at Hebrew University claimed the lives of five Americans. CNN's Brian Palmer says the victims are being honored in both the U.S. and Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The violence and terror that are tearing apart Israel and the West Bank claimed seven lives last week at Hebrew University. Five of them were American. One, Janis Coulter, a convert to Judaism, was remembered in Massachusetts.

Ben Blutstein was a student and a hip-hop deejay.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was on a spiritual journey. And he felt the need to be in Jerusalem, to study Judaism.

PALMER: Marla Bennett was preparing for her last exam of the term.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just -- I didn't believe it was possible that she would be there. I mean, you always hear it happens to other people, and I just never thought it would hit home.

PALMER: Her memorial service is on Monday in San Diego.

Back in May, Bennett wrote a letter to her hometown Jewish newspaper. "My friends and family in San Diego are right when they call me and ask me to come home. It is dangerous here. I appreciate their concern, but there is nowhere else in the world I would rather be right now."

Also killed in Wednesday's bombing were Dina Carter, David Ladowski, David Gritz and Levina Shapira. Eighty others were injured, some of them Israeli Arabs, who make up 10 percent of the university's student body, and a sizable percentage of the support staff.

Hamas claims responsibility for the Hebrew University bombing, which, it says, is in retaliation for an earlier attack that killed Palestinian civilians. For friends of the victims, they say life must and will go on at Hebrew University.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The day after this occurred, they picked themselves up and classes proceeded, and work proceeded. And the cafeteria will be rebuilt. And life will go on at the university, albeit sadder than it was on Tuesday.

PALMER: Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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