A woman is killed in Jerusalem by a terrorist attack.
No one comes forward that someone was missing.
A paystub was found, and a journalist contacted the business owner to question his humanity.
The owner – in his 80s, became enraged that his humanity was questioned. He demands his Human Resource Manager find out who she was.
He is told to cancel on taking care of his daughter, as promised to his ex-wife that night. The Office Manager is sent instead.
The HR Manager goes to his office, demanding his secretary come back to the office to help find the paperwork on the person. She is forced to bring her baby, which the HR Manager cares for while she searches.
The personnel file is found. The HR Manager had written notes. She was an electrical engineer in her home country but wanted to work. She was brought on as a cleaner who requested the night shift for extra pay.
Was the task done? No. Off they march to the bakery to speak with the supervisor.
Turns out that after being accused by the secretary and questioned by the HR Manager, the initial story of her being fired but mistakenly left on the payroll was found untrue. The supervisor admits that he had lusted for this woman, who was too smart and beautiful to be near him or in this type of job. He sent her home while still being paid, so he didn’t have to be tempted by her. Thus no one realized she had not come to work, because she was not expected
When the HR Manager reports to the Owner all this, it appears that he has been told everything. He then asks the HR Manager to take the woman back to her son and mother in the old country to be buried. The trials that they go through, including almost poisoning himself to death, get him to the woman’s home town, only to be questioned why the woman had not been buried in Jerusalem where she had moved to.
The parallels to the Israeli society here are too obvious to miss. One woman unclaimed meant no one had any humanity. When investigating, they find that she was not the woman they thought she was – not just a cleaning woman but a mother, daughter, lover, and engineer. She may not have been Jewish, but the orthodox family that gave her housing also gave her a Hebrew name. And through all of these twists, it appears the old man seems to be aware of all these pieces as the HR Manager just discovers it.
The humanity of Israeli society is being questioned daily, both internally and in the press. Every person, be them Jewish or not, has a reason for wanting to be “going home” to Jerusalem, as the woman’s mother states. To assume that they would not want to die there and stay is foolhardy. We each need to cleanse ourselves fully to realize this folly – our humanity must always guide us and cannot just be apologized away. Until there is a way found back for all, we should all be questioning our humanity/
The Source 4 Books 