Two Wounded in Bombings Identified as US Citizens

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM – U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said on Wednesday evening that two of the wounded in the bus stop bombings in Yerushalayim earlier in the day are American citizens.

Nides said on social media that “I am grateful that they will recover,” and prayed for a peaceful holiday weekend.

Nides did not give out their names.

However, one of them was identified by The Jerusalem Post as Naomi Pilichowski, an 18-year-old Israeli-American, who was lightly injured in the explosion at the entrance to the city. 

Pilichowski is the daughter of Uri Pilichowski, a Post columnist and an educator who works at Nefesh B’Nefesh. The family moved to Israel eight years ago. 

Her father told Kan 11 News that “She is fine, thank G-d, just fine. She is receiving good treatment in the hospital, both emotionally and physically. She was hurt a bit on her shoulder but, thank goodness, she is fine.”

When asked what she had told him of the bombing, he said: “It was frightening. There was a large cloud of smoke and things flew in the air. She called us and told us that there was a terror attack.

“She saw people on the ground and she started to run away from there. She was frightened, she knew it was dangerous, so she ran away.

“She’s with her mother and with her friend who was there with her the whole time and that helps a lot. They evacuated her by ambulance…they are taking good care of her.”

Meanwhile, doctors at Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center said that one of the victims remains in critical, life-threatening condition, while “others suffered varying severities of injuries from shrapnel and blast impacts. Some of the injured are currently undergoing surgery, while others may require it later,” the hospital said according to Ynet.

All told, there were 23 wounded brought to the hospital from the two bomb sites; of them, 6 were listed in various degrees of injury, and 17 suffered from shock.

A Yerushalayim court has issued a 30-day gag order on details of the investigation by security services into the attacks.