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Whole world is watching us now,
It’s a little intimidating
But since there’s no way to back down,
Let’s show ‘em what we’re made of.
Let’s make them remember
Am Yisrael Chai
In the shadows where I used to hide,
Thoughts like chains, they pulled me inside.
Days felt heavy, nights dragged on,
But deep inside, a spark was drawn.
I’ll rise from the ashes, I’ll find my way,
Leave the past behind, it’s a brand new day.
The storm may linger, but I’ll learn to dance,
With every heartbeat, I’ll take a chance.
October 2023
“Signing off for now, love you all so much and please God we will do Am Yisrael and the world proud, this is my time to give all I’ve got for our beloved country and people.
We will strike them harder than ever, all off us are a part of history and the importance of this war is immense,
Powerful emotions pulsating
through my veins
every breath a challenge
as I struggle in my chains
In the bleakness of a tunnel
far below the light of day
never knowing never speaking
slowly dying there I lay
Will they save me
from this nightmare
Most of the soldiers in my company are not religious. As a commander, I have a squad of soldiers working close to me – a driver, someone in charge of communications, and a navigator. They are not religious, but they know that I’m strict about putting on tefillin every day. Even if I don’t have time to daven, I always put on tefillin – every single day.
Without a chance
without being asked
Still they ask
They insist
Declaim “this”1
Before the mountain man2
before the voices3
before three stars4
came us5
We commemorate
Celebrate
Pontificate
On the ironies
Faced in grief and love
that proliferate
Holding space and breath
Remembering who we are and the salvation
We await
We’ve been here before
We know when it’s time to
Lather, rinse, repeat
Threats are heavy
Anxiety is thick
And the sky is a perfect bright blue
that reminds me uncomfortably of
that Tuesday morning
Fear permeates the steady, warm breeze
As thick grey plumes of destruction
Ring out
In the picturesque landscape of Israel’s Galilee, where the soothing hum of our Neshikha beehives now mingles with the buzz of air force drones and echoes of distant aerial and artillery cross-border warfare, a recent quotidian journey to the annual beekeepers’ conference at the Volcani Agricultural Institute in Rehovot, in the country’s center, turned into an unexpected snapshot of Israel at war.
Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey out of Egypt.
But how could we forget?
Weak, starving, insecure, unprotected
Parched, dehydrated, thirsty
For water, yes – and so much more
Traveling across the desert
Barren wasteland filled with nothing