Op-ed: Murdered journalist Daniel Pearl’s final words a reminder of Jewish courage, pride

Giulio Meotti |  01.25.12, 11:15 / Israel Opinion

Ten years ago this week, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, a young, successful, handsome man, was kidnapped and slaughtered by Islamic terrorists in Pakistan. His offense was being a Jew.

In the moments before Pearl was killed at the age of 38, he was videotaped saying bravely: “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish.” In another segment Daniel said, “My family on my father’s side is Zionist.” In the third statement, he said, “My family follows Judaism. Back in the town of Bnei Brak there is a street named after my great-grandfather, Chaim Pearl, who was one of the founders of the town.”

Ten years after the murder, Daniel’s parents, Judea and Ruth Pearl, continue to speak about the pride Daniel took in their heritage, and they see him as a shining example of the best in the Jewish tradition. But the barbarous murder of this American Jew, who was married to a beautiful, young French wife and expecting his first child, Adam, didn’t awaken global public opinion to the most significant truth of our times: Today, every Jew in the world is on the frontlines of war.

 Read full story here