South African Jews are shocked along with the rest of the country after 48 people, including a former Jewish day school student, were injured in a pipe bomb attack in a coastal resort.
Sunday’s bombing at a pizza restaurant follows a similar attack three weeks ago at a gay bar only a few miles away from the restaurant. That attack also injured a former day school student.
The attacks come amid a general increase in crime in South Africa. While Jews have not been specifically targeted, Jewish fears of crime have sparked a growth in emigration.
Olivia Milner, 16, a part-time employee at the restaurant, was admitted to a private clinic, where her leg was amputated below the knee.
She was in stable but critical condition, Roy Krummeck, the manager of Milnerton Mediclinic, said Monday.
The girl’s mother, Elana Newman, is well known in the Jewish community, having run the employment bureau at the South African Jewish Board of Deputies for many years, while her stepfather, Richard Newman, is a candidate rabbi for Cape Town’s Progressive Jewish Congregation.
Milner’s friend, Belinda Abelman, described her as “a really nice girl. You never think it will happen to someone you know — this is too close to home.”
But Michael Bagraim, Cape chairman of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, was determined the incident would not detract from the Jewish community’s faith in South Africa.
The perpetrators “are certainly not going to sow any fear into the community at all.”
Adrian Epstein, 26, also a former day school pupil, was among those injured in the first attack. His heel was blown off and he underwent reconstructive surgery and skin grafts. He had two operations to remove part of his large intestine and portions of his small intestine.
Meanwhile, police have posted a reward for information that could lead to conviction of those responsible for the spate of bombings in the Cape Peninsula during the past 18 months.
Minister of Safety and Security Steve Tshwete labeled the act as “dastardly and cowardly. We will leave no stone unturned to apprehend the cowards.”
Police believe the pipe bomb was triggered by dialing a cell phone attached to the device, which had been placed in a plastic bag under a table.
(South African Jewish Report correspondent Moira Schneider contributed to this report.)
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