Aug 31, 2004 - Margarita Sokolov, 57, of Beersheba was one of 16 people killed in twin suicide bus bombings in Beersheba city buses. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
The two explosions took place within minutes of each other on two Beersheba city buses, on route nos. 6 and 12, shortly before 3:00 P.M. The buses were traveling along Beersheba's main street, Rager Blvd, near the city hall. About 100 people were also wounded.
Margarita Sokolov, the mother of four, was on her way home from work at a laundry when she was killed. "Mother worked very hard," recalled her son, Constantin. "Sometimes from morning to night; sometimes all night long. She loved dogs and cats, and cared for them more than for herself." She had made aliya from Russia 13 years ago; a son still lives there.
Sokolov was known as the "mother" of her neighborhood's stray cats and dogs, which she cared for in addition to her own two dogs and three cats. "She was a good woman, beloved by everyone," recalled her close friend, Luba Felich.
"She had 30 cats and dogs that she took in and gave food and water to," related Constantin, the lead cellist with the Beersheba Philharmonic. "She'd come home from work and wouldn't rest or eat until the dogs and cats would eat from her hand. Now she has 30 dog and cat orphans."
Sokolov won recognition for her work with animals from a city veterinarian, who wrote commending her efforts and wishing her a good new year.
Margarita Sokolov was buried in Ra'anana. She is survived by four children and four grandchildren.