Israeli casualty in London, Anat Rosenberg
Illustration Photo: Modi Kraitman
Rosenberg’s partner John Falding
Photo: Channel 2
Israeli victim identified in London
Parents identify body of Anat Rosenberg, killed in London bus attack last week
LONDON - The body of the Israeli woman murdered in the London terror attack last week has been identified.
Foreign Ministry officials say that arrangements are being made to fly Anat Rosenberg's body back to Israel in the coming days.
Terror
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Rosenberg, who was to celebrate her 40th birthday in a week’s time, will be buried in Jerusalem, say her parents, who arrived in London to search for their daughter.
Her father, 70-year old Aryeh Rosenberg, told ynet Thursday, “Today we recognized her. Her face was undamaged, we saw her and we even touched her. She lay there as if she were asleep.”
“We already accepted the worst, but we had hoped in our hearts for a miracle,” said Aryeh. “To our sorrow, it didn’t happen.”
“There was much relief that we recognized her. We are comforted that her body is whole, we can bring her to Jerusalem for burial and there will be a grave where we can mourn her," Aryeh said. "We also know that she did not suffer because she apparently died instantly. We are planning on returning at the start of next week, on Monday or Tuesday.”
He wished to emphasize that the attitude of the local British police had been positive.
“There are two detectives, a man and woman, who have been accompanying us the entire time, and so has the Israeli counsel here in London, Thiya Weinstein. My wife and I have called them angels.”
'Get off the bus'
Anat has lived in the British capital for the past eight years. Israeli officials said they feared the worst for her immediately after the bombing, after her British boyfriend reported that she was on the bus that had blown up in Russell Square.
The Foreign Ministry had announced earlier that “there is serious concern for her fate. After the attack there was a list of hundreds of Israelis who were unaccounted for. This list grew smaller, and there are 50 Israelis who still haven’t called in, but this is the only case where there is serious concern.”
Rosenberg’s partner, John Falding, spoke with Britain’s Sky News Network, and described how he was on the phone to Anat before the line went dead. “I heard screaming in the background and then nothing. I redialed her number and got the answer phone.”
“I saw on television that there was an explosion on the bus and I left her a message saying ‘get off the bus, get off the bus.’ I haven’t heard from her since.”
Falding said Rozenberg was afraid to return to Israel due to the waves of terror attacks that had occurred here in recent years.
