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One of the cruelest realities of the so-called "knife intifada," which first engulfed Jerusalem - and later much of the country - one year ago, is that the terrorists were deified as "martyrs" within their communities.
That reality has been most painful for family members of the victims, who not only had to endure their profound loss, but witness widespread celebrations of the murders and ongoing incitement by Palestinian media.
The son of murder victim Richard Lakin - a gentle and celebrated 76-year-old American-Israeli educator, who was shot in the head and repeatedly stabbed by a terrorist on a bus in Jerusalem last October - is doing something about it, in his father's name.
Citing his father's legacy as an elementary school principal, activist and author who educated thousands of children to be kind and compassionate, Micah Lakin Avni on Thursday said that his violent death has inspired him to ensure that his legacy endures - despite the malevolent geopolitical climate threatening it.
Avni, a married 47-year-old father of four who manages a commercial finance company in Tel Aviv, spoke about his late father, the incitement that led to his death, and the importance of addressing the deadly climate that encourages other killers to take innocent lives.
"Any death of a family member is a difficult and traumatic experience," Avni said by phone from Boston, where he is meeting with victims of the 2013 bombing of the city's marathon and lecturing about the dangers of radical Islamist incitement.
"Terror is a particular trauma though, because it's not something that we are prepared for, and it is intentional and evil. And it's a very painful touch to the soul that creates an energy that you have to deal with... I've taken that energy and tried to focus it on positive things, because it's an inordinate amount of energy."
Noting that the traumatic feelings terrorism inflicts can lead to self-destruction or self-empowerment, Avni said his father's life has helped him focus on the latter, not only to heal his own pain, but prevent it from destroying other lives.
"You can...