From Kol Ha'Eer
Bnai Brack, Israel
November 26, 2005

$250,000 Given to a Hospital in Memory of Daniel Pearl
By Rachel Klein

Bnai Brak -- On January 23, 2002, Daniel Pearl (38) makes
his way to an interview with someone he believes to be a
fundamentalist leader. What did Pearl know of the dangers lurking his
way? This we will never find out. Pearl was kidnapped by a
group calling itself "the national movement for the restoration
of Pakistani sovereignty'. The group claimed that Pearl was
a spy and, through several emails, they sent the US a list of
demands, including the release of all Pakistani prisoners
that were captured during the American war against terror.
An additional demand was the delivery of F-16 war planes
to the Pakistani Government.

The email stated: ``We will give you one more day, If America will
not meet our demands we will kill Daniel. Then this cycle will
continue and no American journalist could enter Pakistan.''
Photos of Pearl in chains, holding a newspaper, a piston aimed at
his head, were attached to the email.
There was no reply to this demand. Six days later he was
brutally murdered. His body was found later in a grave in the outskirts of Karachi.

In a video tape recording his last minutes, Pearl says:
"My name is Daniel Pearl. I am a Jewish American. My father
is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish. He subsequently
states that he often visited Israel, and notes that in one
of the towns in Israel there is a "Chayim Pearl Street," named
after his great grandfather, who was one of the founders of
the town. The tape has several interruptions and, at the
end, it records Pearl's murder and mutilation.

This is a special day for our family
------------------------------------
A few months ago, the "Mayney Hayeshua" Medical Center
received an unusual phone call. The center was informed
that a group was organized to donate a monitor-control system
to its recovery rooms. The group asked that the
gift be designated in memory of journalist Daniel Pearl (Z'L).

The Center officials say that this system improves
significantly the quality of medical service given to
patients undergoing surgery. Its cost is estimated at $250,000.

A dedication ceremony in the presence of the 17 donors took place last week in the "Mayney Hayeshua" Medical Center. The most
emotional moment was when Daniel's father, Professor Judea
Pearl, who participated in the ceremony, addressed the donors
with excitement and said:
"This is a special day for our family. This is the greatest
gift that Danny could have expected. It is a great privilege
for him, who loved Israel and was murdered for being Jewish
to have Jewish lives saved and sanctified due to his good
friends and their donation to "Mayney Hayeshua" .

"Every Tragedy Brings Opportunities"
------------------------------------
After the "Mayney Hayeshua" ceremony, we talked
to Professor Judea Pearl and asked to hear details
about his son Daniel (Z'L). "He was a walking
sunshine... full of life..." Daniel's father
hesitates, takes a deep breath and
continues, "there was no room that Danny entered
which remained in the same color."

Q. How was the decision made to raise the money for
the Medical Center.A. It started with the publication of the book
"I am Jewish". (this book was edited by Judea Pearl and his wife, Ruth,
inspired by the last words of Daniel Pearl).
We asked approximately 300 scholars and public figures
to contribute an essay in which each answers the question:
when you say "I am Jewish" what do you really mean?
We received 147 answers, including from Rabbi Lau, Shimon
Peres, community leaders in the US, Elie Wiesel,
Rabbi Lamm, 5 Nobel Prize winners in various subjects
and more.

We considered this book our gift to the Jewish people
to encourage appreciation of Jewish heritage.
The book was published last year and won the
Best Jewish Book Award, and this is what prompted
Dr Richard Gerber -- a cardiologist from Northern
California who cares about the future of the Jewish
people, to undertake this project. Dr. Gerber
called me one day and said: I heard that you are
from Bnai Brak... he then asked me to come and a give
a talk at a fund raising meeting in his home, where peoplewill be asked to contribute to the project.

Q. Do you remember the Grandfather?
A. Sure. I remember how he was reading the
Passover Haggada, the whole family around him,
and how, when he reached "Were reclining in Bnai Brak"
he always stopped for a minute, smiled, and continued,
We knew what he was telling us: Here, we came home"

Q. Is there any message you wish to convey on this occasion"
A. I would like to tell the residents of Bnai Brak: "Today
you are on the map! At least 100 million people saw what happened to Danny through the various media outlets.
I am not sure they understood what they saw, but
they all heard the word "Bnai Braq". It is important for
the public here to know that you are on the map due to
Danny's tragedy. Every tragedy brings with it opportunities.
by studying Danny's tragedy you will learn to use
it for the benefit of Am Israel.

Q. I assume that this event is like a dream
comes true; are there other dreams?
A. What has been accomplished today in Bnai Brak is a small part of what we are doing and
planning to do. We have a foundation named after Daniel
through which we plan to continue his work, because he
and his personality became symbols of tolerance and humanity.

Ending our conversation, professor Pearl tells us that he
has another dream, to see the book "I am Jewish" translated
into Hebrew.
[stated but not printed in the article] We are seeking
an enlightened publisher in Israel who will recognize instantly
the potential of this book to become both,a commercial success and an important instrument in solidifying
Jewish identity among Israeli readers