Her Life
Gila Sara Kessler was brought up in Eli, a community village North of Jerusalem, and attended the Pardess elementary school in Ramat Eshkol, Jerusalem, where her acrobatic skills were first noted. She continued her education at the Orde Wingate School for Sport outside Netanya as a residential student, maintaining contact through the years with her close friends, but the distance and the absence of a traditional environment led to her decision to leave gymnastics.
Gila's spirit of adventure and yearning to know the world took her to England and the USA, where she spent a year perfecting her English and supported herself working in the Turkish restaurant "Sahara" (New York), where she also learned to speak Turkish. She returned to Israel to enter National Service with the Jewish Agency Education Department's Contact Center and was in the process of applying to serve for a second year as an emissary in the Swedish Jewish community.
Gila Sara Kessler was murdered when a homicide bomber attacked a large group of waiting passengers at a bus stop under the bridge at French Hill, in northern Jerusalem, yesterday evening, Wednesday 19th June. She was almost 20 years old.
The eldest child in the Kessler family, she leaves behind a brother, two sisters and her parents.
Eulogy
Gila Sara Kessler was killed when a homicide bomber attacked a large group of waiting passengers at a bus stop under the bridge at French Hill, in northern Jerusalem, yesterday evening, Wednesday 19th June. She was almost 20 years old.
Gila was returning home from an extended day of work at her National Service position with the Jewish Agency's Education Department.
Gila was a light in our lives, with her constant smile, her never-ending helpfulness and sensitivity. She had a tremendous commitment to her responsibilities and to all her colleagues. She touched the hearts of all those who knew her and loved her, from the friends with whom she stayed in touch since elementary school, through those who knew her and worked with her, to the security guards and the cleaning staff. She had time for everyone, with her bright manner, her sensitivity to everyone's need. Gila was eager to learn from all those around her, but was very modest about her own accomplishments. She was a young woman with a deep sense of faith and a beautiful, understanding nature, someone who gave of herself to us all. She is no more, but her light will remain in our lives and the tragedy will mark us all.
May her memory be blessed and may her good deeds guide us always.
Friends Remember
It is with an indescribable and deeply felt sorrow that we write to you to cancel the Ambassador's Course Live Web Event that was to take place today, Thursday, June 20th at 4:00 PM Jerusalem time.
Last night there was a terrorist attack at the French Hill junction in Jerusalem. Gila Kessler, one of the behind-the-scenes Ambassador staff was waiting for a ride home at the same time that the terrorist blew himself up. Gila was murdered.
Gila was an integral part of the Contact Center staff. She was responsible for all of the little things that make the office run. Gila helped everyone here equally in a multitude of functions. Simply put, Gila's contribution made our jobs easier.
It is difficult to write about somebody who is not here. Every time the door in the office opens we expect Gila to arrive and to ask with her buoyant smile how many people had registered for the course and say "Yo! What's up!"
Gila was the definition of happiness. We will all miss her smile and warmth.
The Ambassador course is about relating the truth and representing to the world what is happening here in Israel. Today we are having a hard time expressing our feelings.
A flower was picked yesterday and a life with a future ended for no reason. It was a life of hope and promise. Gila was a young woman who had hope and a love for life. Her smile and laughter will leave a void amongst all that knew her.
Gila we miss you dearly. May your memory be blessed.
Alain, Celia, Eitan, Moshe, Neil, Simon, Shmulik, Stephanie
And The Staff of the Education Department, JAFI.
Note: You will be notified when the Live Web Event is rescheduled.
The Dove (Poem)
Pure and white, a single dove
Left her nest to soar above.
Snow-white, she was felled from above
But her memory lives on in our love.
Love, O please, this pure white dove.
Excerpted and adapted from The Dove by Dalia Rabikoviz
Like a Black Cloud
Like a black cloud racing to engulf us, the recent wave of terrorist attacks drew ever closer, until it touched us, here at Kiryat Moriah.
Our Gila, only nineteen years old and on National Service, had all her life ahead of her. One minute she was here with us, laughing; the next - she was gone forever.
It is so difficult to give birth and so easy to kill. One has to be crazed with hatred and completely blind to kill oneself and a happy young girl, a person who was utterly good, generous and wise. A young girl for whom everything has now ended, to use the words of the song, - before it even began.
Those who send their children to murder our young men and women, our children and our elderly - and those who kill our nearest and dearest, and would wish the same fate upon all of us - such people will never be absolved from their evil. The blood of innocent people, of this girl who never harmed another soul, cries out to the Heavens.
We shall not forget - and we shall not forgive.
Bambi Sheleg
A Smile...
A smile.
Throughout the little pressures
And the big frustrations;
Throughout the day-long, week-long, headlong rush -
A smile.
Eager to help,
Curious to learn,
Filled with life.
A smile.
A glint.
A girl.
A memory.
Sidney Slivko
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