Not bearing the details

Posted by Sherri Mandell

I am at the sulfur baths at a hotel at the Dead Sea with my husband. We are trying to relax. It's been a very difficult couples of weeks.-- the terrorist attack at Mercaz ha Rav Yeshiva and a beautiful young child - Hilleli - in our community who is hovering between death and life from an accident at the nursery school where she was choked by a curtain.

We have one night to relax, unwind. I used to be very good at going on vacation. I could chill out in a minute. But now, ever since my son's murder by terrorists six years ago, I find it hard to unwind. Working helps me because I don't have space for my mind to wander. Empty time fills me with the chill stark terror of what we've lived through - losing our 13 year old son, Koby, an 8th grader when he went hiking instead of going to school. Instead terrorists beat him and his friend Yosef Ish Ran to death

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Monday Dec 10, 2007

Tiki Barber, Koby and me

Posted by Seth Mandell

Last Tuesday evening as The Koby Mandell Humanitarian Award dinner was reaching its finale Master of Ceremonies Ben Brafman called out. "And now I would like to introduce Seth Mandell and Tiki Barber!" Applause.

I walked to the podium and looked out over the crowd. Close to 400 friends and supporters of Camp Koby and our other healing programs for those who have lost immediate family members to terror in Israel were sitting in the audience.

Frankly, all I could think about was how it came to pass that I was standing up there with one of the premiere sports figures of the generation. "Wow", I said to the assembly, "Tiki Barber and Seth Mandell, Seth Mandell and Tiki Barber in the same breath. There's no way this would have happened without Koby."

Tiki Barber to whom I was about to present the Koby Mandell Humanitarian Award is the most successful running back in the history of the New York Giants football team. After retiring from football last year he is currently a regular on the Today Show, the most popular morning TV show on television.

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Heart-Earned Wisdom Seth and Sherri Mandell on living with loss, establishing the Koby Mandell foundation, spritual healing and becoming authors.

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Jen USA: Elise, I would trust the Justice Department before the CIA, any day. The first is held accountable for their actions. The second rarely is. The lack of response to Sherri's email is sad. Whether Koby's case has been shelved because it is cold or if there is simply a communication breakdown, someone should be available to talk to family members about any case that remains unsolved. I do not think that Sherri should expect the JD to contact her. I would suggest that she write her congressman or congresswoman. If she is still a tax-paying, voting American, her representative will listen.

Shahab Mohd Altaf INDIA: Justice is equal treatment.It means desire for your brother/sister, what you desire for yourself, this is the Islamic concept of Justice.Further the victim is given the right to decide the nature of punishment.This is called Qasas or blood money.The loss of life cannot be compensated but atleast the pain can be reduced.HumanLife is more important than human rights. Terrorists have no religion.

Elise: I am sorry for the loss of your child. I do not understand why you are confused that the Obama administration has refused to list your son as a victim of terror. This would go against their belief that Jews have no right to live where you do. This is a Justice Department that seeks no justice and is so politicized that they ended a probe into voter intimidation by Black Panthers and attacks those that keep us safe(CIA). This is a State Dept. that is inherently anti-semitic even before the advent of the Obama Admn. Justice will not becoming from this Adminsitration. Why are you surprised?

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