This is a photo (I didn’t take) of my friend Tzvika Mor at his grandson’s brit. Every brit is special. This one has added layers of meaning and a message for us all. The brit (which means covenant in Hebrew) is the circumcision ceremony performed when a Jewish boy is eight days old. At this … More A brit and the lessons in a single photo
Normally, I write stories. This is a different kind of story – a real conversation I had online with Jews who don’t live in Israel but follow the situation closely, support Israeli causes, and even participate in Israeli groups. Which is why their perspective was so upsetting. It is one thing when hateful people spout … More Q&A with Jews Who Don’t Realize They Are Anti-Israel
This sign stands in the traffic circle at the entrance to our neighborhood. It reads: “The community of the French Carmel bows its head in mourning for Sergeant First Class (Res.) Benyamin Asulin, of blessed memory, who fell in battle.” The shiva for Benny Asulin is over, and already there are other soldiers to bury. … More What do you say to a mother with a broken heart?
So many good boys… This week we attended the funeral of Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin. He was 28 years old. His family lives one road above mine. Everyone’s heart broke seeing Ben’s mother walking behind his coffin, moaning: “Ben, Ben. My son.” She described telling him: “You served so many days in this … More So many good boys…
“I hope I don’t see you again.” That’s not something normal people say to their neighbors. But these are not normal times—even for Israel. And when I said it, I got a smile, a hug, and the same words back: “I hope I don’t see you again either.” When the siren screams at 3:00 a.m., … More Israeli whiplash: from the bomb shelter to a ceasefire
The 2024 Eurovision contest took place less than half a year after the October 7th invasion of Israel. Reeling from the day Gaza brought the Holocaust to the Jewish State it was natural to submit a song that referenced the recent national trauma. The Eurovision committee declared the entry political, and rejected it. Because being … More Israel’s message on the Eurovision stage
Yasser Arafat, one of the most effective PR content creators of all time, said this to Israeli reporter Zvi Yechezkeli when asked why he rejected Ehud Barak’s Camp David proposal and reignited the Intifada. Yechezkeli was shocked to discover that to Arafat, being offered nearly everything he demanded was not seen as a magnanimous gesture … More “It’s not about the numbers. It’s about justice.”
The families came quietly, unsure of what to expect. Their eyes widened in astonishment, seeing how many people they had never met had come together, just to say: You are not alone. We were attending an unveiling ceremony for a memorial built to honor their children: Capt. Sahar Saudian, Sgt. Binyamin Gavriel Yonah, and Sgt. Nativ Kuzaro, … More Unveiling a Memorial, Discovering Hope
Healing from trauma is complicated. Any trauma. Bereavement, injury, sexual assault, survivor’s guilt, the shattering of long-held ideals that shaped our understanding of reality… Any of these alone is an extreme challenge to address, much less heal. The October 7th invasion and the subsequent war wove all of these traumas into complex layers, interwoven, widespread, … More How do we heal from the trauma of this war?
A new wall has appeared along the highway near Israel’s southern town of Sderot. Since the war began, the train has been forced to take a long detour to reach Sderot because this stretch of track is visible from Gaza—leaving it vulnerable to anti-tank missiles. Now, a wall stands to block the view, ensuring that … More Another Wall? Have You Lost Your Mind?!
Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story 