Dina Carter

July 31, 2002 - Dina Carter, 37, of Jerusalem, was one of nine people killed when a bomb exploded in the Frank Sinatra cafeteria on the Hebrew University Mt. Scopus campus.

Shortly after 13:30, while about 100 people were eating lunch, a bomb exploded in the Frank Sinatra cafeteria on the Hebrew University Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem. The explosive device was apparently planted inside the cafeteria, which was gutted by the explosion. Nine people were killed and 85 were injured. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.

Dina Carter was born in North Carolina and moved to Israel in 1990 after converting to Judaism. She studied anthropology at Duke University and holds a masters degree in social work from Chappel High University in her home state.

Dina worked as a librarian and archivist in the National Library on on the Hebrew University Givat Ram campus. Although she spoke Hebrew fluently, as a native English speaker she had come to Mt. Scopus for a Hebrew language exam which was a prerequisite for starting a library science program. She stopped at the cafeteria before the exam and was killed.

According to Rafi Weiser, head of the library's manuscripts department, Dina was a special person. She was perceptive, intelligent, well-educated and had a winning personality. Dina was also a talented artist, enjoying music, painting and sculpture. She drew landscapes and sculpted faces from wood as a hobby, and also made abstract sculptures from tree bark, leaves, and paper.

Dina Carter was laid to rest in Jerusalem. She is survived by her parents and sister, with whom she had not been in contact since immigrating to Israel. "Once she did immigrate and did convert, it was like she started her separate life," said her father, Larry Carter.