A gunman entered the prominent Jewish seminary, Mercaz Harav, in the heart of Jerusalem on Thursday night, killing at least eight students and wounding some nine others. It was the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians in nearly two years and the first attack inside Jerusalem in four. The attack comes at a time of increased Israeli-Palestinian tension, after a rise of violence in Gaza that has seen longer-range rockets reach the Israeli city of Ashkelon, a medium-size Israeli military operation in Gaza, and the deaths of nearly 130 Palestinians since February 27. Four Israelis have died, including a soldier last Thursday. In Gaza, the radical Islamic movement Hamas did not take responsibility for the yeshiva attack but praised it. In a text message, Hamas said: “We bless the operation. It will not be the last.”. Police confirmed that the Palestinian terrorist who opened fire at Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav Yeshiva carried a blue Israeli identity card and came from East Jerusalem. Daniel Seaman, head of the Israeli government press office, said: “Jerusalem is a town where Jews and Arabs live together. The terrorist took advantage of the fact that he could move freely in west Jerusalem.” Doberman‘s reaction: When I was in High School I remember an event where a terrorist stabbed a soldier to death in the Old City. Schools were stopped and instead we held discussions on the topic, on the attack, life in Jerusalem and coexistence. Instead of the usual broadcast, there was constant programming coming from the ground, accompanied by moving songs and discussions. Almost like memorial day. Nowadays? There is an attack, and three hours later the broadcasts stop. Except some headlines in newspapers and talk show interviews of bereaved parents, we easily return to our regular routines. From the amount of terrorist bombings, shootings and missiles, we developed elephant skin and created a filter. We learned to repress. We are angry and sad only as long as the topic hits the headlines. The next day we chat about American Idol while sitting at cafes. And only families of the dead cannot move onwards. There is a saying in the army that goes: “whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Whatever kills you makes your mother stronger”. Well, from our blood-drenched experience we learned that we might be “stronger” from one attack to another, but a mother who loses her child will never get stronger. Ze'ev writes: A wedding and an attack. Happiness diluted in sorrow. This was supposed to be a very happy post in which I tell about my good friend's wedding. During the seven blessings, the person next to me said “fire” and “mercaz”. I thought perhaps a fire broke out in the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva. I looked at him as he was immersed in his mobile internet and suddenly realized: a terrorist opened fire in Mercaz Harav… I decided against stopping the celebration. When the couple entered the designated room, everyone else already knew. We called our friends who study there. A friend's brother is fine. Another friend is also fine. A third is not answering, his phone closed. But in his house they say he called and that he is fine. Then the bride and groom return, and you need to enter a wedding atmosphere – dancing and anything to make them happy in their big day. They did not know about it until the end of the evening. I am so sad about the attack. It took me time to comprehend. But when I did, I walked upstairs and started reading the book of psalms. So sad about the dead. Many voices, such as this one, request the government to react harshly to the attack: There is a strategic importance for such an attack in the Israeli capital. The other nation (Palestinians) consider the success of the Jerusalem attack a day of celebration. In any case, when someone succeeds to hurt your capital, it is as if they are harming the head of your country. I think the IDF needs to react harshly to this event. All the people in Israel shall call out and say – no more silence! On the opposite side of the scale, in his article published in Haaretz, Gideon Levy provides context regarding the Yeshiva's extreme right wing views, and the Rabbis which were educated and educate there: It is still unclear if the terrorist knew exactly where he was heading when he entered Yeshivat Mercaz Harav and killed eight of its students. “The flagship of religious Zionism” was among the used phrases, along with “holiest of holies” and even an exaggerated comparison to the Al-Aqsa mosque in terms of its holiness as a location. Some of the crowns tied to the school's name are indeed appropriate. There is nothing that can justify the horrid killing of youth in a library. But it is important to remember, even in this difficult hour, what came out of this school.