Skip to main content
Skip to main content

In Israel, Staying Alert For Terror Is A Way Of Life

April 17, 2013 College of Arts and Humanities | Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies

Jewish Studies logo on black background

Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies Director, Yoram Peri, says similar tactics could be used in the U.S.

By Oren Dorell, USA Today

Acts of terror like Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon have happened so often in Israel that they have shaped the behavior of ordinary citizens and their leaders in ways that could happen in the United States, an expert on Israeli security said Tuesday.

In Israel, avoiding suspicious packages that could be bombs is taught in grade school, surveillance techniques are aggressive, and watching for the typical profile of a bomber is routine, says Yoram Peri, director of the Institute of Israel Studies at the University of Maryland.

"You grow up internalizing this thought that there might be terrorists and attacks anywhere and everywhere," Peri said of growing up in Israel. "You walk differently, you look to the sides, you look for people who might be terrorists, you look for packages. You're more aware, that's clear."

Read more