Two weeks after the bombing, there was finally a compelling reason for Linoy to go out: OneFamily invited the Zohars to an event held in a hotel. Linoy attended with her mother and younger sister and brother, as did other victims of the bombing. “I met the parents of the soldier who had been killed on the bus,” says Linoy with a bitter-sweet smile. “I was their link to his last moments. They wanted to know what he’d been doing and how had he looked when I last saw him,” she says.
Ripple Effects
Over the last nine years, OneFamily’s involvement with Linoy has been complete. With a very broad smile, Linoy recalls her graduation: “OneFamily sent me a balloon arrangement,” she says. “I wasn’t all that excited about graduating, but they made me realize this was a moment worth celebrating.”
OneFamily’s support naturally extends to the families of terror victims. “My mother took it even harder than me,” says Linoy. “She’s still living with the dread. She calls us ten times an hour, and when we get on and off a bus,” she adds. Inevitably, Linoy’s mother’s fears have been passed to the children. “When my sister goes out, she texts my mother to let her know exactly where she is and what she’s doing,” says Linoy.
Sadly, Linoy’s mother, Miri, has had additional challenges to face. Working as a caregiver for the elderly and earning just over minimum wage, she was nevertheless able to meet her family’s needs. Then in March 2010, Miri fell and broke two vertebrae in her back. After undergoing physiotherapy for a year, she was on the verge of returning to work when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “OneFamily kept us functioning,” says Linoy. Not only did Mindee Levinger, OneFamily’s Jerusalem Regional Coordinator, arrange after-school tutoring for Linoy’s ten-year-old sister, but when Linoy expressed a need to take a break from her studies, OneFamily pushed her to continue.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
In October 2012, Linoy successfully completed her BA in psychology and sociology at The Hebrew University. Today, she works as a guide at the Israel Museum. This year, she aims to start studies towards a teaching degree and then an MA program.
Towards the end of our interview, Linoy shares a surprising insight. “Today, I can ride a bus, although I do get off when the bus gets crowded. It can take me a long time to get places because I sometimes end up taking two or three buses,” she pauses and adds, “I know that the experience of the bombing will never disappear and I don’t want it to. Through the horror, I found an inner strength—I discovered that I’m not breakable. I always thought that I’d fall apart if it happened to me, but then I learned that I could deal with it. Today, I have a stronger belief in myself.”
