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The Maxim Bombing
Twenty-one Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, were killed in a suicide bombing at a restaurant, Maxim, in Haifa on this date in 2003. This beachfront restaurant, co-owned by Jews and Christian Arabs, was known as a symbol of coexistence in this most integrated of Israeli cities. The bomber was a woman, Hanadi Jaradat, a 29-year-old lawyer from Jenin, in the West Bank, whose brother, cousin and fiancé had all been killed by Israeli security forces. The Islamic Jihad organization claimed responsibility for the bombing. Maxim was rebuilt and remains open today.
“Blood of Jews and Arabs was spilled and intermingled in this place — and so [our] joint fate will be, for better or for worse.”
—Sharbel Mattar, co-owner
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Lawrence Bush edited Jewish Currents from 2003 until 2018. He is the author of Bessie: A Novel of Love and Revolution and Waiting for God: The Spiritual Explorations of a Reluctant Atheist, among other books. His new volume of illustrated Torah commentaries, American Torah Toons 2, is scheduled for publication this year.
