Miriam Eisenstein

Aug 19, 2003 - Miriam Eisenstein, 20, of Bnei Brak was one of 23 persons murdered by a suicide bomber on a No. 2 Egged bus in the capital's Shmuel Hanavi neighborhood.

The attack took place at about 9 p.m. as the bus was making its way from the Western Wall to several religious neighborhoods. The Hamas suicide bomber, apparently disguised as a religious Jew, boarded the bus and detonated his bomb shortly afterwards. Seven of those killed were children and over 130 people were wounded.

Miriam Eisenstein would visit the Western Wall once a week, to pray for herself and for her family. She would also say a special prayer for those unable to come to Jerusalem, like the disabled children she cared for as a volunteer for Ezer Mizion. She was on her way home to Bnei Brak when the terrorist struck.

An honors graduate of the Beit Ya'acov Teachers Seminary, she devoted herself to the children. "She would often stay and sleep with the children in their hostel," a relative recalled. "She simply saw this as a mission. She succeeded in forming a special bond with the children."

The chairman of Ezer Mizion, Rabbi Chananya Chollak, said: "Miriam was a totally giving person. She cared for the exceptional children with love, and all for the sake of Heaven."

Miriam Eisenstein was buried in the Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva. She is survived by her parents and eight siblings.