Dana Pinhasov

It was February 25, 1996. Dana Pinhasov, then a 21-year-old Border Police officer, boarded Bus No. 18 from her home in Jerusalem back to her base. Nearing the Jaffa Gate, a suicide bomber boarded the bus and detonated a 10-kilogram bomb. Nails, ball bearings, and bullets ripped through the crowded rush-hour vehicle, killing 26 people and critically injuring dozens more. During the explosion, the fuel tank burst beneath Dana’s seat.

With the devastation delivered by the bomb, the first responders could barely distinguish the dead from the living. When Dana’s parents arrived at the hospital, it took hours for her parents to locate their daughter. Severe damage to her lungs and legs, among other injuries, left Dana’s very survival hanging in the balance. Her months-long hospital stay included 17 complex surgeries, leading to a long and painful path of rehabilitation.

Dana eventually returned to work at the Border Police, seeking the greatest possible sense of normalcy. Young, physically and emotionally scarred, and feeling ashamed, the transition was extraordinarily difficult. Each day after work, Dana visited Beit Halochem Jerusalem, where she swam and underwent physio and hydrotherapy.

“It was the one place where I did not feel different or unusual, and no one stared at my big ugly scars. It is a comfortable second home for me.”

Two years after her injury, Dana married the man who had been by her side for her entire, difficult journey, and their family grew as they welcomed four children. Recognizing how much she benefited as a member of Beit Halochem, Dana was compelled to do more for the disability community.

Dana found light from the darkness. She became the first woman to join the National Board of Directors of Beit Halochem Israel. She also launched the Kids of Courage program - and serves as a volunteer coordinator of the initiative that brings dozens of Israeli children of severely wounded warriors to summer camp in North America.

“I had nightmares for a long time after February 25, 1996, the day my world changed forever. Now, thanks to Beit Halochem, I have good dreams.”

Dana is one of the countless Israelis who have made a tremendous sacrifice while serving Israel and its people.