Hodaya Asraf

Nov 21, 2002 - Hodaya Asraf, 13, of Jerusalem, was one of 11 people killed in a suicide bombing on a No. 20 Egged bus in the Kiryat Menahem neighborhood of Jerusalem.

The bomber, wearing a five-kilogram bomb belt packed with explosives and shrapnel, boarded the bus at approximately 7:00 A.M. on Mexico street in Kiryat Menahem. Before it reached the next stop, the terrorist, who was standing in the front section of the bus, set off the bomb, killing 11 people and wounding about 50.

Hodaya Asraf was a student at Omanuyot - the Torah and Arts High School for Girls in the Katamonim neighborhood. She boarded the bus several meters from her home and was killed in the blast. Rachel Lifschitz, principal of the school Asraf, said that Hodaya's mother would call the school daily to make sure that her daughter arrived safely. Lifschitz described her as kind and generous, and noted that she had taken part in school plays.

Hodaya Asraf was buried in the Givat Shaul cemetery in Jerusalem. She is survived by her parents, brother and sister.