Rose Boneh

Jan 29, 2004 - Rose Boneh, 39, of Jerusalem was one of 11 people killed in a suicide bombing on a no. 19 Egged bus at the corner of Gaza and Arlozorov streets in Jerusalem.

Bus no. 19 starts its route at Hadassah Ein Kerem and makes its way through the center of Jerusalem to Hadassah Hospital and the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus. The bomber was in the back of the bus when he detonated the explosives as the bus drove up Gaza Street. The blast tore apart the bus, turning it into a twisted wreck. The back half of the roof was blown into the air and every window was blown out. In addition, over 50 people were wounded, 13 of them seriously. Both the Fatah-related Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

Rose, the third of five children of Linda and Binyamin Boneh, was born in Jeruslem and lived there all her life. She took Bus 19 every day to work at the Clalit health organization's blood laboratory. She Bona left home and boarded the bus a few minutes after 8:30 A.M. Her last conversation was with her younger sister, Joya, who called her on her cellphone before she caught the bus.

Rose's good friend Eva described her as an optimistic woman, with a huge heart. She had been living for several years with Yossi Biton, whose son, Eliran, 14, collapsed when he heard the news of her death. "She was more than a mother to him," said Yossi. "Meeting Rose was for me like winning the lottery for a limited time."

Rose Boneh was buried at the Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem. She is survived by her mate, Yossi Biton, her mother, Linda, and four siblings.