Tal Kehrmann

March 5, 2003 - Tal Kehrmann, 17, of Haifa, was one of 17 people killed in a suicide bombing of an Egged bus on Moriah Boulevard in the Carmel section of Haifa.

The bus was traveling on the city's main Moriah Boulevard near the Carmel Center, on the way to Haifa University, when the blast turned the bus into a charred wreck and scattered bodies along the road. The suicide bomber, who had boarded the bus, had the bomb strapped to his body, laden with metal shrapnel in order to maximize the number of injuries. A total of 17 people were killed and 53 injured.

A senior at Haifa's Municipal "Hei" High School, Tal Kehrmann had recently been involved in planning her class's graduation celebrations. A friend described her as "always cheerful and intense, always wanting to do things and to be involved." Another noted that, "She always helped all of us." Tal wrote for the school paper and was about to be named editor. She participated in her school's delegation to a conference in Boston. She was chosen because of her outstanding ability to connect with others.

Tal was incredibly friendly and had a lot of friends from different streams of life, including many new immigrants. She was very sensitive to others, a trait which also applied to her love for animals, especially cats. At a later age, she fell in love with camels. Tal loved to read literature both in English and in Hebrew. The last book she read, which she had not yet finished, was Lord of the Rings in English. She especially liked the stories written by Israeli writer Etgar Keret. She met him at a book festival in June 2002, when he autographed her book with the words: "Dear Tal, Lots of books and lots of life..."

Tal Kehrmann was buried in Haifa. She is survived by her parents, Orly and Ron, and a younger brother, Dror, in fifth grade.