Alona Abraham

A 30-year-old resident of the Israeli port town of Ashdot, Alona Abraham was 11 days into her first vacation in the United States. Her cousin, Danny Raymond of Van Nuys, had been sending letters to his Israeli relatives for years, extolling the U.S. as exciting--and peaceful.

An office worker, Abraham finally decided to visit, and in the process was hoping to meet a few nice Jewish boys who might make for a good life partner, Raymond said.

“Everything was really exciting to her, to be in a country she had only seen in newspapers and on TV,” Raymond said. “She couldn’t believe how different everything looked--and that it was so peaceful.”

Abraham’s family were Bombay Jews who emigrated to Israel in the 1950s. Raymond said Alona was “all Indian” in appearance--tall, with stunning black eyes and brown hair, a woman who found joy in being with friends and family--”just the warmth, the heart, the goodness of being with someone,” he said.