The family of Warren Zines, a member of the 1997 Australian delegation who was killed in the bridge disaster at the 15th Maccabiah, has arrived in Israel. The family visited the disaster site and the new bridge.
The Zines family is the first of three victims' families that are set to participate in a memorial service scheduled for Friday. Four were killed in the accident.
The Australian delegation will march across the new bridge during the ceremony.
Among the arrivals are the victim's wife, Lyn, and his son, Adam, as well as 11 other family members.
Not angry
According to Adam, the family, which originaly planned to leave Israel before the openning ceremony of the Maccabiah on July 11, decided to extend their stay to watch and possibly even participate in the event.
He also said that he is not angry anymore.
"I feel calm. For two years now I have been feeling that I can forgive and move on," he said. "I had to reach this point for the sake of my family and my children, but we did not forget the past. We had to know that justice was done."
Zines said the new bridge looks clean and respectable, but it is a shame it was not this way eight years ago.
Maccabiah organizing committee chair Uzi Zwebner, who is in charge of bringing the Zines and the two other families to Israel, said their arrival is important to the event.
"The fact that these families had positive responses to our invitation is the most meaningful event of the Maccabiah," he said.
