The Sonderberg Case Read Online Free PDF

of people, while the latter shied away from them, taking refuge inside his books.
    Misfortune struck when they both fell in love with the same woman, a beautiful brunette full of talent, humor, and surprises. When she shared our meals, the dining room radiated with warmth and wit. What happened next? It was to be expected: each spared the other’s feelings; the two brothers broke up with her at the same time. Together they succeeded in overcoming feelings of guilt, but Dovid’l leftfor Israel to complete his studies. He was wounded in a bomb attack. Leibele departed immediately to be at his bedside. A few weeks later, Dovid’l sent us a reassuring letter from the Tel Hashomer hospital:
    My dear parents,
    I know you’re worried about me. I can understand—I would be worried, too, if I were in your position, but I’m getting better. I’m being taken care of by marvelous physicians. The nurses are gentle and beautiful. When Eve smiles at me, I don’t feel the pain of the injection. I’m almost tempted to request a second one. If this continues, I’ll fall in love with her.
    My accident? Leibele must have told you everything. I was strolling in the narrow streets of Jerusalem, near the main market. I like the brouhaha and the odors. The crush of people. The kids running from one stall to another, trying to filch a candy or a fruit while the merchants find it amusing and let them get away with it. The Talmudists going over the morning class. The housewives with their shopping bags. The place is teeming with people; everyone is bustling about. Here life is simple.
    And suddenly everything disappeared in the explosion. All I remember is I fell. I woke up in the hospital. What had happened? A terrorist had just accomplished his suicide mission. Five dead. Sixteen wounded. Including me. Shrapnel in my stomach and in my right leg. Operation successful. A few weeks in the hospital. Everything will be okay. Later.
    As usual, the attack aroused anger and frustration throughout the country. How is it possible to justify the cult of death so many young Palestinians adhere to? Forensic scientists, working on the autopsy of the terrorist, found that he was smiling as he set off the destructive device. His face reflected neither hatred nor terror but a kind of anticipation; he welcomed death, his and his victims’, with a smile.
    I don’t understand.
    Leibele, who comes to see me every day, thinks the man was brainwashed and believed in the legend of the seventy virgins promised in heaven by the Koran. Fanaticism? Let’s not pass judgment on religion, though we’re allowed to condemn people who pervert it for political ends.
    I was told that two hours after the explosion, the market was back to its normal activity. The pupils in the neighboring schools were already quietly sitting and listening to their teachers.
    The market … I’m eager to return to it. With a bit of luck, I’ll manage to persuade Eve to come with me.
    Your Dovid’l who loves you
    P.S. Mom, a suggestion: someone should make a film about these young assassins who think they’re making God happy by killing His children. And you, Dad: How about coming to Jerusalem and doing a story for your paper?
    Yedidyah was considering going to join the twins, whom he missed more than anything in the world, when Leibeleinformed his parents that he was dropping out of university and enlisting in the Israeli army. He quickly became a member of a commando, filling his parents with a mixture of pride and fear.
    Some time later, a Hebrew newspaper ran an article in his praise. The title: “Honor to Leibele! Bravo!” He was commanding an operation in Gaza; the aim was to capture a terrorist leader responsible for several attacks in Tel Aviv and bring him back alive. A spectacular success. With no loss of human life.
    “You see?” Yedidyah said to Alika. “Theater isn’t the only thing to live for.”
    “You’re right,” she answered. “The papers allude to the