Tragedy in Pakistan

It can be easy to forget that we, both in Israel and in the West at large, are not the only victims and targets of Islamic terrorism. Yes, we are very concerned about the likes of Islamic State, but even then it is primarily for the threat they represent to us, not for the horrors they inflict on their fellow Muslims and Arabs.

Then something like this happens.

One hundred and thirty two Pakistani children were brutally murdered in one of the most horrific massacres in recent memory. They were murdered by the Taliban for the crime of being innocent in a warped world.

The evil that could lead to such an atrocity is difficult, if not impossible, to fathom. Perhaps it is better not to try.

Our hearts go out to the victims and their families. So many individuals butchered. So much potential spilled away before it could be realized. The number, one hundred and thirty two, does not convey the true scope of the tragedy. No statistic can quantify the missing laughter of children, the pain felt by so many families, or the gaping hole that has been carved into a community.

No words from some blogger in Israel can help ease the pain of any of the families in Pakistan, even on the extremely remote chance that one of them will read it. As a nation that has lost many of its own children to terrorism we know that there is little an outsider can say to provide any comfort.

All we can do is say that they are in our prayers.