War writings
Read through all the content we've collected since the war. You can use the search bar below to find specific content or select from our most popular categories to read their posts.
The Weight of Words
Letters. Black on white. They usually adhere to their two-dimensional habitat. Sedate, well-behaved. But what happens when they leap off the surface and issue blood-curdling screams? That is the case this grey morning. My head reflexively snaps to the side upon seeing the words on my phone, my gaze turning away, scanning the room desperate […]
silentversities
silentversities silently witness silentversities fail to condemn silentversities soulless and witless silentversities solo and in tandem silentversities hostile to Israel silentversities seek compromise silentversities toxic with vitriol silentversities breaking the promise silentversities charging tuition silentversities have no excuse silentversities fail their mission silentversities […]
Campus Confrontation
“What are you doing still awake?”She answered him:“I love.”from the Russian of Leonid Martynov “Are you a Zionist?” they asked,their faces covered in keffiyehs.On their chessboard hate was masked.She stood alone. She had no fear.“No Zionist can come insidethe library. Go back to Poland.”“From enemies I won’t hide,”she told them, stoically. Andshe smiled at their […]
My Five-Year-Old Chayal
My five-year-old son is currently wearing his army uniform costume we bought him for Purim nearly three months ago. Since then, he has taken every opportunity given to him to wear it. Little religious boys wear their suits on Shabbat. Not my son. He wears his chayal (soldier) costume. He even wore it last week […]
Where the Parrots Go
They sing.At the stupid o’clockwheneven Sunhasn’tgot up yetbut only opened its eyes,stretched out and yawnedthese irksome creatures alreadytweetchirppeepsingtheir dumb happy songsand don’tlet me sleep. They sing.Clang, tinkle, ring.When I work.When I walk.When I speakon the phone.I growl“What? Wait, I can’t hear you.No, there’s no construction work. Parrots!Parrots, that’s right,Let me justclose my window, you mind?” […]
Yom HaZikaron 2024
Photo of Nir Maman I live in Canada, many miles away from Israel and Gaza. I am a committed Jew however, ensconced in thought everyday about my fellow Jews fighting a war for our people. I’m very much aware, and repeat this regularly, that our Israeli brothers and sisters are on the frontline for all […]
Cleared for Publication
Today is May 13, 2024. Memorial Day in Israel. It’s not a shopping and vacation holiday like in the U.S. Rather it is a day of somber reflection and sadness when we mourn our war dead and embrace their families. Whether you think the war is just or not, I believe that we can all […]
War Diaries Day 220 – From Mourning to Morning: A Path of Resilience, Strength and Unity
One minute’s silence. The whole country stops what they’re doing. Wherever we are – at home, on the highway, walking in the street, sitting in a meeting – we all stop, stand up and become silent for a minute. Yesterday was Memorial Day in Israel. A day to remember all lives lost. Our soldiers who […]
Broken Hearts
Some people wear their heart on their sleevesTo show it off to all aroundMine lays heavy, tied round my neckIt’s weight, it’s worth I’ve avowed Some people’s hearts protected and safeAwait that pure moment of loveMine lay in darkness, quaking with fearWith shouts to the heavens above Some people know the feel of heartbreakThat moment […]
Wearing My Heart on My Wrist and Around My Neck
Some of my earliest childhood memories were going through both my grandmother’s and mother’s jewelry boxes. I loved trying on the shiny and sparkly pins, rings, bracelets and necklaces, imagining being old enough to wear “real” jewelry. My first piece of jewelry that represented something more than a birthday or a bat mitzvah gift was […]
AL ELE ANI BOCHIYA
AL ELE ANI BOCHIYA1 Hashem, and the Heavenly Court, enterthe Beit Knesset on Rosh Hashanahto open The Books.2 uNetaneh Tokef3 softly wafts through the hall andHashem opens the first page of The Book;tears unexpectedly fall from His eyes. the angels of the Heavenly Court are bewildered–Hashem turns over the page and tearscontinue to fall like […]
Waiting for Friday
Some days you can try to close your eyes and ears to the world and the war and just focus on your immediate family and your life. But in order to do that you can’t listen to the radio in the morning where they interview the families of hostages. Or the families of soldiers who […]
The Forgotten
You don’t care when our soldiers are killed.You don’t care when our elderly are murdered.You don’t care when our women are raped.You don’t care when our men are brutally slaughtered.You don’t care when our children are tortured.You don’t care when our babies are executed. You don’t care when our soldiers are held hostage.You don’t care […]
Eternal Light – Ner Tamid
I see faces I do not knowAnd my heart is breakingI see names I do not knowAnd my soul aches BraveSelflessPatriots Each one held closely in the hearts of their loved onesEach one with a story yet to unfoldFrozen in timeThe light forever paused But the light is not extinguishedAs their blessed memories live onIn […]
Day 85
It could be meNowNext weekNext monthMany years from now It could be my childrenNowNext weekNext monthMany years from now It could be my grandchildrenMany years from nowIn their now, their lifetime,To their childrenTo their grandchildren Where does it end?How does it end?Who will it end? A living nightmareFor the captivesFor the familiesFor the nationThis is […]
Be the Light in the Dark
Before that day we were wholeRejoicing in life’s small pleasuresOblivious to the shadows encroaching.Killers came, prepared with the blackest of soulsEvil came to our door – to break us. AndNow we see the purest of hate in plain sight. Betrayed by the worldExtremists dressed as liberalsTotal denial of the horrors and hostagesResponding with darkness – […]
Words
Words matter. The army here is called the Israel Defense Forces. The “defense” is there for a reason. While the IDF is out defending our country, we’ll be here defending against - antisemitism - misinformation - extermination. The world we’re defending ourselves against is the same one we’re fighting for. And we’ll win.
Truth
We wish it weren’t true that babies were murdered. We wish it weren’t true that over 200 people were kidnapped. We wish it weren’t true that fuel is being used to throw thousands upon thousands of rockets. We wish it weren’t true that hospitals are used for weapon storage. We wish it weren’t true that […]
Day 12
It has been nearly two weeks.Somehow time has managed to crawl by and speed past.We have been living in a weird alternate reality.There isn’t any routine. School is still not functional.Rockets are still falling. My kids discuss how many ‘booms’ they have heard each day.The fighter jets still roar above us.The funerals continue.So many families […]
Seeing Green in Southern Israel
On the drive down to Kibbutz Sa’ad, I alternate between gazing out the window and trying to get the Homefront Command app to work on my phone. It’s November 5, the first time in a month I’ve left the environs of my city in central Israel, save the five-minute visit to my son on an […]
Flowers and War – פרחים ומלחמה
Translated from the Hebrew by Hila Bar Planting flowers in my Sderot garden, my hand felt the earth that day.And then my heart knew that to light up the soul, we have to keep fear at bay. My legs marched on along familiar roads; my eyes welled with tears of the past.But my heart […]
A Ghazal Written at the Time of War
Us with our wandering stars and souls, Jews,Candles, kippahs and torah scrolls, Jews. The only things we have, Hashem and Jerusalem,Our ancient walls have been ruined again, Jews. Told repeatedly, you look like ugly moles,Always persecuted but never controlled, Jews. Herded and annihilated, our Jewish ancestors,Only to be told, you’re greedy go-getters, Jews. They keep […]