When we heard that Michal was missing, we didn’t know what to hope for. She, like so many other young Israelis, had attended the music festival attacked by Hamas on October 7th. Her mother, our friend, couldn’t find Michal in any of the hospitals. Was she wounded in the bushes, where no one could see … More Michal Roemi
Is it possible to mourn a man you don’t know? A wave of sadness hit me and, with a sigh, I sat down next to the grave of Lt. Col M., tears welling up in my eyes. The fresh grave was piled with flower wreaths, bright and beautiful, a silent testament of the grief of … More Heroism, unsung: Lt. Col M.
When you were a child, what was your favorite color? I distinctly remember the discussion my first-grade classmates had about favorite colors. Most of the girls declared that red was their favorite. I had an innate streak of Israeli davka-ness in me, way before I became an Israeli, was determined not to be like everyone … More How do you feel about the color red?
After a night of missiles on the south of Israel (last Wednesday), I got up to a new day, full of missiles. My nerves were frazzled. But why? Nothing happened to me. At night I had reset the RED ALERT app so that it wouldn’t alert me of all the missiles on my country, it … More Life in Israel Under Fire
“The arson terror kites and balloons come in the afternoon and the evening, sometimes in the middle of the night.” That’s when the winds pick up, blowing from the sea, inland, carrying Hamas’s flying firebombs to the people of Israel. Israeli firefighter Tal Goldstein stood in the sweltering heat, telling us about a more terrible … More Fighting fire, under fire
“You keep using that word… I do not think it means what you think it means.” I keep hearing and reading statements from Jews, usually from America, prefaced by “my Jewish values.” Usually what follows is some sort of accusation against Israel that has little to do with facts – or an understanding of Jewish … More 3 misunderstandings about my Jewish values
I am sick and tired. More than anything, I am mad. I am sick and tired of seeing cute stories of Israeli kids having kite and balloon festivals sending messages of peace and candy for Gazans. On one hand, I love my people for their strength of spirit and eternal optimism. It is important to … More Stop explaining Israel’s right to self defense
There was an old man who used to sweep the area next to the Kotel, the Western Wall. When asked why he, such an old man, was working, doing menial labor he explained that in Auschwitz a Nazi pointed to the smoke billowing up from the crematorium and told him: “You see that smoke? That’s … More We won’t play that game anymore
Don’t. Just don’t. Sometimes kindly meant words are the worst. On May 8th Trump pulled out of the disastrous Iran Deal. Almost immediately afterward Israeli citizens were warned that there would likely be an attack from Iranians based in Syria and communities in the Golan were instructed to make sure their bomb shelters were open. … More Don’t tell me to “stay safe”’
It’s been a little over a week since the riots in Gaza began. We’re promised riots every week, till May 14th, the date commemorating Israel’s Declaration of Independence in 1948. When I wrote this, new riots were massing on the border (the great tire demonstration). Last Friday was the grand opening of the “March of Return”. … More Free Gaza
Inspiration from Zion: This is a Love Story 