וַיִּדֹּם הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְיָרֵחַ עָמָד, עַד-יִקֹּם גּוֹי אֹיְבָיו   10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies.

The present Bet Horon community was established in 1977, located in the Judean Hills, not far from Jerusalem. It is home to 300 Jewish families, a mixed community of old and young, religious and non-observant, all proud of their respect for one another. Roads are closed to traffic on Shabbat. 

Bet Horon has been in the news because of the stabbing of two women. and death of one of them, Shlomit Krigman, H'yd, z"l. A special young woman who was a beloved youth leader and a student of Industrial design, Shlomit was also an avid reader, who worked in a Jerusalem book store, eager to share her love of reading and help people find the right books.

However, there is more to the story. BJL was with a press tour visiting Bet Horon as the army was repairing the damaged fence and replacing it with a higher one. 

Spokeswoman Yehudit Tayar, showed the damage and explained, this was a planned and calculated attack. These were not random teenagers with knives. The two Arab terrorists broke through the fence and were armed with knives and explosive devices.

Tayar is a trained army medic who has responded to emergencies for over a decade. This time as a first responder, she found it especially hard, as she knew Shlomit and her family. Shlomit's family had been one of Bet Horon's founders. The Tayars arrived soon after and have been in Bet Horon since 1980. They all started out living in caravans, before taking the barren hilltop and turning it into the beautiful community it is today.

Tragedy and terror are not new to Tayar and her family. In 2003, her cousins' Rabbi Eli and Dina Horowitz, z"l, were sitting in their home enjoying a quiet Friday night dinner, when two armed Arab terrorists who had broken through the Kiryat Arba fence, forced their way inside and killed them. Rabbi Eli was the son of Rabbi Moshe "Whitey" Horowitz, z"l, who was principal of the Hebrew Academy of Washington, before moving to Israel where he founded BMT.

The Bet Horon attack was on Tu BiShvat, at the time and location where the youngest children were to come from their nursery classroom, cross the playground, and plant their holiday trees. Miracle number one, it was raining. The dozens of children did not come out as was planned. 

Miracle number two, the terrorists' explosive devices did not go off when thrown. 

Not only was it raining on Tu BiShvat, but weather reports were predicting a heavy snow storm. People around Jerusalem hear about snow, and run to the supermarkets to stock up, especially those outside the city where delivery trucks could take days to arrive. The supermarket was filled with shoppers when employee Mordechai Shalem, was able to use a shopping cart to keep the terrorists away from the crowd inside. 

Tayar believes that multiple miracles kept many more from being killed that day. The terrorists wanted to cause maximum damage and were running towards homes when shot by security.

Look at the photo essay and you will see the children's playground, the land prepared for planting, and the fence repair. 

Other photos include, inside the Bet Horon supermarket where good luck symbols and blessings hang over the door and a smiling Mordechai Shalem posing with thank you letters from children.

High school girls from the area were sitting and singing when we arrived in Bet Horon. They lit candles outside in memory of Shlomit and inside the store left messages wishing good times on children's snacks and treats.

 11:23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the L-RD spoke unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land had rest from war.

An Israeli flag was hung near the spot where Shomit Krigman, z"l, was killed, may her memory be a blessing.