Assaf Avitan

Dec 1, 2001 - Assaf Avitan, 15, of Jerusalem, was one of 11 young people killed on Saturday night at the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall in the center of Jerusalem.

At about 11:30 P.M., two suicide bombers detonated explosive devices on Ben Yehuda Street, the pedestrian mall frequented by many young people on Saturday night. A car bomb exploded nearby 20 minutes later. In addition to the 11 people killed, about 180 were injured in the terrorist attack.

After bowling in Talpiot, Assaf Avitan and his friend Golan Turgeman met with friends on the Ben Yehuda mall to celebrate the 16th birthday of twins from the neighborhood. They were standing and talking when the bomb exploded. Assaf and Golan were killed; 10 of their friends were injured.

Assaf and Golan and grown up together in Jerusalem's Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood, and were the "neighborhood clowns". Assaf, the youngest child in his family and a computer freak, was a 10th grade student at the Ort Nevi'im high school in downtown Jerusalem.

Assaf Avitan was buried in Jerusalem. He is survived by his parents, a brother and a sister.