Jerusalem — Israeli-born Na’ama Ritzker was killed last month. She was only 22, and had her whole life ahead of her. Her death was a tragic waste.
Born in Jerusalem, this young woman was, unfortunately, no stranger to death. In the last 19 months — since the start of the current intifada — Na’ama, like all of this country’s citizens, had become a witness to the continuous stream of death and destruction waged by Palestinian suicide bombers and terrorists.
However, Na’ama was not one of their victims, nor did she die in her tumultuous home city. She was killed thousands of miles away, enjoying the trip of a lifetime in the picturesque landscapes of Nepal.
Na’ama, who had set out six months ago to travel the Far East with a group of friends and her boyfriend Eli, was killed in a freak accident while water rafting. Her body was returned to Israel early this month, and she was buried by friends and family in Jerusalem.
Na’ama’s tragic tale was reported here in the press. It found a place somewhere on the back pages of the local newspapers, following all the other terrible stories of death taking place closer to home.
The real reason Na’ama’s story reached my ears is more personal. One of her travel companions, Sarit, is my neighbor, and I had heard all about their trip since the day the two young friends flew off looking for adventure and a respite from the local situation.
Both girls, friends from high school, had finished their army service, worked for a year or so, and like many other Israelis their age were looking forward to experiencing culture and life in other countries.
I did not hear much about their experiences directly from them but rather from two average, worried Jewish parents. Sarit’s mother and father — Yael and Ido — spent most of their daughter’s six months away from home wondering where she was, hoping that she was safe and at times even suggesting she come home to them.
Though they were not fanatical, overprotective parents, Yael and Ido did not hide the fact that they would rest better in their beds at night if their precious daughter were sleeping under the same roof.
But Sarit was a sensible girl, I reminded Yael often. She called a few times a week to assure her parents that she was fine. And with all the dangers taking place in her home country, Sarit’s reassurances seemed reasonable.
Precisely because Israel is not a particularly safe place at the moment (and because Yael and Ido have eight other children to take care of), their concern seemed a bit strange to me.
I mean, at the same time they were at home wondering what Sarit was up to in the Far East, I was fielding calls from concerned relatives and friends suggesting that I leave Israel.
And while these typical Jewish parents wanted their daughter back in Jerusalem with them, so many Jewish parents worldwide were refusing to send or bring their children here.
But the irony of Yael and Ido’s concerns were suddenly justified last month when the sad news of Na’ama’s death appeared in the papers. Luckily, for them, Sarit was safe. She and her friend had parted ways a few weeks before, and Sarit had even called to say she would be returning home for Pesach.
Na’ama and Eli, on the other hand, had reached Nepal in early March. Na’ama had said she wanted a real backpacking experience, and the two signed up for a white water rafting day trip on the Kali Kandaki River. It was here, with 20 others, that Na’ama’s trip ended in tragedy.
It’s still not known whether her death was the result of human error or a simple accident. Either way, this loss of life takes us directly back to the conflict in the Middle East and highlights the common question raised here recently of what part fate actually plays in taking life away.
How far is our life mapped out for us at birth? And is it fair to say that regardless of which path we choose, the ultimate outcome will still be the same?
In recent months there has been no shortage of stories to strengthen the argument that our fate is out of our hands. Consider the American who had escaped with his life from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 only to be injured seriously in a suicide bombing in Jerusalem while vacationing with his family. And the Israeli woman who had been at the site of six or so terrorist attacks only moments before dozens of people were killed at each.
While the fate approach seems pessimistic, it is becoming an increasingly popular philosophy in Israel; an antidote to the terrorist attacks on our supermarkets, eateries and roadways.
So, armed with an element of fate each morning, we Israelis find it so much easier to justify going about our everyday tasks without being too scared. And life, with all its terrors, goes on.
Ruth Eglash is arts and entertainment editor of the Jerusalem Post and former assistant editor of The Chronicle.
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