Too Tired For Clever Title: Bulldozer Attack

As you may have already heard, there was another attack in Jerusalem today. They're calling it a copycat incident to a similar one just a couple weeks ago. An Arab Israeli drove a bulldozer into a number 13 bus. The number I've heard most often is that 16 people were injured--though that may change by tomorrow morning.

I found out about it when the assistant director of the Yeshiva interrupted our afternoon class to let us know it had just happened, and as many of our families would just be waking up back home, we may want to call/text/e-mail and let them know we're ok. The attack occurred just about a block from where I'm studying. By the time I was heading home many hours later, I had almost forgotten what had happened until I walked across the intersection and realized there were about six news trucks and a reporter shooting a stand up. Other than that, I would never have noticed.

There's been construction going on by that corner, but it's not yet clear to me that that's where the bulldozer came from. Also worth noting is that it does not seem to have anything to do with Obama, which the U.S. news sources seem to be implying. Yes, he was (is?) staying nearby tonight, but I--and other people I've talked to here--didn't even realize that until we looked at American news. Again, we'll see more tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure that's just a weird coincidence.

While the assistant director was informing us about what happened, she reiterated certain precautions that we should take to protect ourselves. They're not ridiculous, but they're unrealistic. If I want to live here and adapt the culture for the next year, I can't be afraid every time I go to crowded places or go to a restaurant without an armed guard at the door (although the armed guards are pretty common anyway). The fact is, I was only a block away and I didn't even know it had happened until someone came into tell me. Yeah, it absolutely upsets me that things like this are happening; but am I frightened for my life? Not really.