Yaffa Ben-Shimol

Feb 22, 2004 - Yaffa Ben-Shimol, 57, of Jerusalem was one of eight persons murdered and more than 60 wounded by a Palestinian suicide bomber on a No. 14A Egged bus opposite the capital's Liberty Bell Park.

The attack took place at about 8:30 a.m. as the crowded, rush-hour bus was making its way downtown. The Fatah Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack, which was carried out by Muhammad Za'ul, from the Bethlehem area. He had boarded the bus undetected and was overlooked by two security inspectors who boarded after him and alighted before he detonated the explosives he was carrying in a backback.

Yaffa Ben-Shimol, the mother of five, was the family's sole breadwinner, due to her husband's physical disability. She was on her way to work as a caregiver for an elderly woman when she was murdered.

Ben-Shimol's children described her as a devoted mother and grandmother, who showered her grandchildren with love. She was anticipating the birth of a tenth grandchild in another two months. "She was so eager about it," said her husband, Sami. "She would not stop talking about how another grandchild was about to join the family."

"She worked in hospitals and old-age homes," noted a daughter, "and felt it was an honor to care for those in need."

Yaffa Ben-Shimol was buried in Jerusalem. She is survived by her husband, five children, and nine grandchildren.