Tzipporah Alon
Home Visit: February 11th, 2007

By Sara Bedein

On July 27th, 1994, Tzipporah Alon was serving as personal assistant to Israel's ambassador in London. An Arab terrorist managed to drive through the British security on Palace Green Street while carrying 75 kg of explosives hidden in her trunk. The terrorist pulled up in front of the Israeli Embassy, got out of the car and activated the explosives. As a result of the explosion, 14 people were injured inside the embassy.

Tzipporah was on the phone with the Israeli ambassador at the time the explosives went off.  At the sound of the deafening explosion, she instinctively looked up to the ceiling in the direction of the explosion. What she saw made her mouth drop open in astonishment and within seconds the second floor came crashing down on her together with the elaborate light fixtures, causing glass and shards to go down her throat and into her body. As a result, Tzipporah has sustained irreversible damage to her throat and pharynx and cannot swallow solid food to this day.

Two years after the terror attack, Tzipporah became pregnant and her doctors strongly advised her to abort because of her medical condition that had worsened with time. Unwilling to abort, Tzipporah gave birth to a beautiful son, S., who was born with various special educational challenges.

Today, 13 years following the terror attack, Tzipporah lives with her husband and four children in Jerusalem. Though she has undergone a number of operations to remove the glass from her throat and body, there are still tiny shards that couldn't be removed. She still can't swallow solid food, living on soft food and liquids alone. As a result of this condition, other medical issues have evolved. Tzipporah's muscles are deteriorating, and though she persistently pursues new medical treatments both conventional and alternative, she can no longer lift things, take care of her home or get around without assistance.

Though Tzipporah was delivered a cruel blow, her spirit of helping others is still very strong. She makes phone calls to other terror victims and tries to help them with words of encouragement and useful tips. On days that she feels strong enough she also visits them. Tzipporah voices no bitterness about her serious medical condition, as she matter-of-factly talks about her difficulties in taking care of her children and home due to her mounting
medical complications.

A number of years ago, Tzipporah, who is so accustomed to helping others, contacted us at the Koby Mandell Foundation and hesitantly asked us if her son could come to Camp Koby. Since then, S. has not missed a camp and he eagerly looks forward to each and every one of them.

Tzipporah said she felt honored and much encouraged by the home visit. Albums were brought out showing Tzipporah in elegant evening wear being presented to the Queen of England, fancy elaborate invitations to London society functions were carefully pasted into the album as were many pictures taken of Tzipporah posing with various V.I.P's.  Today little is left from those glamorous years, when Tzipporah was in the thick of things, an active productive woman with an important job to do and a host of secretaries and personnel. Tzipporah is alone in her house most of the day, barely managing to get around. Her three older kids are in the army and S. returns home from his special Ed school in the late afternoon.

While Tzipporah was very grateful for the home visit, I left her home filled with admiration for this very courageous and special woman.