[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16075-16076]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MARLA ANN BENNETT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak in praise of 
Marla Ann Bennett, the young San Diegan who was killed in the July 31 
terrorist bombing attack at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
  Marla was an extraordinary woman who touched the lives of many people 
in her all-too-brief lifetime. Her brutal murder left a terrible void 
in those lives and brought forth an outpouring of grief from the Jewish 
community where she lived: in Berkeley, where she attended the 
University of California; in Jerusalem, where she continued her studies 
and found a spiritual home as an American Jew in the Jewish homeland; 
and in San Diego, where she grew up and planned to return once her 
studies were completed.
  At Marla's memorial service, which was attended by over 2000 people, 
and in more intimate meetings with her family and her friends, I have 
shared the community's terrible grief at Marla's death, but also the 
great joy that she felt in life and shared with others. It is that joy 
and in the words of Rabbi Martin Lawson, ``Marla's legacy of caring, of 
Jewish learning and teaching, of smiles and optimism, of warmth and 
hope,'' that I want to share with my colleagues and the American 
people.
  As a young girl, Marla was precocious, mature beyond her years. At 
age 2, she told her parents no more babies in this house anymore, and 
at age 3, she announced that she was going to Stamford University. By 
her early teens she had explored her Jewish identity and found 
fulfillment in Judaism's spiritual teachings and in its call to save 
the world through acts of kindness and generosity. As a camp counselor, 
school class officer and volunteer Jewish educator, Marla was known for 
her infectious enthusiasm, good nature and appetite for hard work.
  She carried those qualities with her when she moved to Jerusalem to 
attend the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies at Hebrew University. In 
addition to her graduate work in Jewish history and culture, Marla 
worked to promote peace and understanding between Jewish and Arab 
Israelis. She felt that Israel had to do more to end the conflicts with 
its neighbors, and she grew impatient whenever a friend or family 
member seemed to give up on the peace process.
  Marla knew that living in Israel was risky but for her it was 
exhilarating. In

[[Page 16076]]

an article for the San Diego Jewish Press Heritage, she wrote ``I am 
not a tourist; I deal with Israel and all its complexities, confusion, 
joy and pain every single day. And I love it. Life here is magical.'' 
In another article she wrote, ``I have a front row seat for the history 
of the Jewish people. I am part of the struggle for Israel's 
survival.''
  Now Marla is a casualty in that struggle, but she is also a beacon of 
light for all those who dream of peace and work for the day when Israel 
can dwell in peace with her neighbors.
  Marla Bennett was one of thousands of young American Jews who have 
gone to Israel and stayed on despite the horrors of war and terrorism. 
In an open letter to Marla's parents, another young American who chose 
this path wrote that ``there was no question as to whether it was worth 
the risk.'' He told the Bennetts, ``My heart literally breaks for your 
loss but not for your daughter. She lived her life as a free, 
independent and bold Jewish woman. May her example live on in the sons 
and daughters that follow her.''
  Amen. Marla Bennett was a beautiful, brilliant, brave, kind and 
caring young woman who lived life to the fullest, and though her death 
is a terrible blow to many of us, her life is an inspiration to us all.

                          ____________________