I
October 18, 2023
“Oh, a little gingy boy”, she says softly and I automatically smile and begin to say thank you, sure she is about to tell me how cute gingy boys are, how her grandson is a gingy boy, how gingy boys have a little extra spark, or any of the other comments older Israeli women love to make about Lavi but then tears fill her eyes and she says, “My heart hurts,” and I understand.
II
October 25, 2023
Yesterday, in a stunning display of ordinary life, I met my parents for lunch in the center of Zichron Yaakov.
Of course, Lavi took this opportunity to scream like he’d never done before, and we all took turns trying to calm him down.
A woman walked over and reached out her arms. “I’ll take him,” she said. “Let me give you guys a break.”
We handed him over and I asked her if she was from around here. “No,” she said, “I was evacuated from the south.”
She gestured to the restaurant we were eating at. “They’re feeding us for free, we’re staying in someone’s house, people are offering us so much help. I just wanted to help someone else for a minute.”
