Defiantly tranquil Tel Aviv walks off fatal stabbing spree
Crews worked overnight to scrub blood off the promenade; Tourism Ministry says security situation has not negatively impacted tourism
A day after an American tourist was killed and 10 people were injured by a Palestinian terrorist on a stabbing spree here, the Tel Aviv promenade leading into Jaffa was still bustling Wednesday with international tourists and residents soaking up the panoramic views of the Mediterranean.
Aside from frequent police patrols and a number of police cars stationed around Jaffa’s Watchtower Square and the southern part of the promenade, nothing looked out of the ordinary. ZAKA crews had worked through Tuesday night to scrub any remnants of blood from the sidewalk.
“I feel very secure; we didn’t feel scared at all,” said Ana Maria Varela, a Peruvian tourist on a 10-day pilgrimage to Israel, as she walked near the site of the fatal stabbing. “You can’t even tell that something happened. It’s not like at home in Lima. A day after an event like this you’d still be able to feel it.”
Only hours earlier another tourist, American student Taylor Force, had been walking in the same area when he was stabbed to death by Bashar Massalha. Force, a US army veteran and a graduate student at Vanderbilt University, was killed and his wife critically injured in the attack, which followed two other terror attacks that same day in Petah Tikva and Jerusalem.
Varela said that aside from some protests outside of their hotel in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, they hadn’t felt any effects of the security situation, and their tour operator had given them free reign to wander around Tel Aviv and Jaffa for the afternoon with no warnings of places to avoid.
“Tomorrow we’re unfortunately leaving, but I definitely want to come back,” she added.
Tel Aviv has always had a more relaxed reputation than its religious cousin Jerusalem, where near daily attacks have had a chilling effect on tourism to some parts of the city, which are now heavily protected by police. (On Monday, an American tourist in Jerusalem’s Old City was hospitalized with light injuries after being hit by a stone.)
After a shooting on New Year’s Day at a cafe on the main Dizengoff Street that killed two, many customers made a point of continuing to support the city’s famous cafe and pub culture, even as a massive manhunt was underway for the attacker.
Looking for a place to park her Tel-O-Fun rental bicycle, Ana Vacileva from Bulgaria said Wednesday she couldn’t explain why she felt so safe in the city. “My family is afraid that I’m here, but I already told them I feel fine,” she said.
“I still feel quite safe, but I’m watching out more to see if someone around me looks suspicious,” said Vincent Schechner, a German tourist who is in Israel for a week-long visit. “It could happen everywhere, it’s not like this area is cursed now because of what happened last night. If you look around you can barely tell what happened,” he said. “This stuff happens, and it happens everywhere. I live in Berlin, and it happens there from time to time. Maybe for different reasons, but it still happens.”
Local resident Gal Yerushalmi, who is hosting Schechner, said he was being extra vigilant while walking around the promenade. “I feel like I need to protect him, because he’s my visitor,” he said.
The Goldman Court Restaurant, which sits on the promenade and was close to the site of the stabbing, posted a notice in its window that it was staying closed on Wednesday in a mark of respect for the victims and because many of its employees witnessed the attack.
The director of Israel’s Tourism Ministry, Amir Halevy, told Army Radio that the number of tourists visiting Israel has not gone down since the start of the ongoing terror wave in October.
Speaking from a tourism conference in Berlin, Halevy said the industry has actually grown since the previous year.
“Tourism to Israel is expanding every year. Everyone understands that the tourist industry is continuing to grow despite acts of terror,” he said. “This year, more than in other years, people have understood that the problems are not only in Israel,” he said, referring to terrorism in France, the US and other Western countries.
Shai Kirsh, who lives in a caravan next to the promenade, was still recovering from the events of the previous night. “It was crazy, he was running, and he was so quick,” said Kirsh of the killer. “He was flying by, like a plane. I called the police and said to send police on motorcycles because he was running so fast.”
Kirsh was hosting a barbeque for his neighbors when the Massalha ran past. Kirsh’s security cameras captured his friends jumping up from their chairs to try to see what was happening and then running into the house and slamming the door as the terrorist got closer. He ran past Kirsh’s house, where he stabbed other victims and was eventually shot by police.
Kirsh said he was still shaken by the events, but didn’t expect anything to change. “Every minute something could happen, you never know,” he said.
“The goal is not just to kill us, it’s also to frighten us,” said his neighbor, Koby, who declined to give his last name. Thirteen years ago, Koby witnessed another fatal terror attack in the same place. In 2003, a civil guard volunteer from Bat Yam named Amir Simchon, 24, was stabbed to death by a terrorist very close to where Force was murdered.
“The only response, and what needs to happen, is for people to go out and show their strength — coming out here in force to show we’re not afraid,” he said.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report
