Obama invites Israeli, American terror victims to speech

On the campaign trail in Israel, Obama told an 8-year-old boy he’d see him again; five years later, he’s fulfilling that promise

US President Barack Obama has sought out and invited several Israeli and American terror victims to attend his public speech Thursday.

In coordination with the OneFamily Fund, an Israeli organization dedicated to terror victims and their families, the White House went to great lengths to ensure the individuals could attend.

Osher Twitto, a 13-year-old boy from southern Israel whose leg had to be amputated after a Qassam rocket exploded next to him, was personally invited by Obama to attend. The two first met in 2008, when Osher was 8 and when Obama, then a US senator campaigning for his presidency, visited Israel. Osher was transported out of the hospital to meet the American politician and shake his hand then, and Obama promised the young boy that they’d meet again — “in the White House,” he added. That could still happen, but for now, they are reuniting in Jerusalem.

Marc Belzberg, founder and chairman of the OneFamily Fund, said that Obama’s invitation helps ease the pain of those who have suffered because of terrorism. “The administration’s inclusion of American citizens who have been injured and traumatized by attacks on them and their families communicates to us the recognition that fighting terrorism — in Israel and in the world — is a priority for the United States,” he said in a press statement.

Shira Applebaum-Maresky, whose father Dr. David Applebaum, and sister Nava Applebaum were killed in a Jerusalem terror attack, is also set to attend.

More than 1,200 Israelis have died in terror attacks since 2000, and another 17,000 have been injured.

Iriya Mordechai from New York lost her husband when he was killed at Kibbutz Shluchot in 2001. For Mordechai, the invitation shows that she hasn’t been forgotten.

“I grew up on true American values. They are so much a part of me,” Mordechai said via the press statement. “I am so happy that President Obama is recognizing our suffering, our family of injured and bereaved in Israel. President Obama is letting us know that we aren’t forgotten.”

Another invitee, Rebecca Fuhrman, originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will be attending Obama’s lecture as well. In a twist, the location of the address, Jerusalem’s International Convention Center, is right near where she was injured in a 2011 bus bombing.

“Obama’s attention and dedication to making this happen makes me proud as an American and an Israeli,” Fuhrman said.