Dear friends,
I’m just back from a nice Shabbat with friends in Jerusalem, and I walked around a bit in the neighborhoods of Baka and the German Colony, not far from the home of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who has been a hostage, together with 115 others, for an interminable 282 days. Every bus stop has posters of Hersh and other hostages. Every street has a massive red banner, sometimes several, like the one pictured here; I probably spotted 20-30 of these in my brief walks.
Last week, tens of thousands of people took part in a four-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, culminating yesterday at the Knesset to demand a deal. Despite various media reports, no one I’ve spoken to here seems overly optimistic that a deal is imminent. “It’s so depressing” and “I’m so depressed” are the common refrains here.
I don’t know if what is happening in the north of Israel makes the news abroad, Hezbollah continues to fire on the north with rockets and drone attacks. Every day, several times a day. To date, 12 civilians and 17 IDF soldiers and reservists have been killed, including - last week - an Israeli couple, Nir and Noa Baranes from the Golan Heights, who leave behind three teenage children. May their memories be a blessing.
There is a feeling that something must give, though to be honest we’ve been feeling that way for a very long time. In some places, the rallies to support the hostage families seem to be merging with the anti-government protests and calls for new elections. In Modiin, they are still separate. In Jerusalem, they seem to have merged (though no one I’ve spoken to seems to understand how this has come about). In Tel Aviv, from what I understand, they start out separate but eventually converge.
Two of my friends - whose newsletters and writing I have shared many times here - offer differing perspectives. Sarah Sassoon wrote “Why I Am Not Protesting” and (in response) Vivian Cohen Leisorek wrote “Why I Am Protesting.” I cherish both of these amazing women, and I am sharing their pieces here so that you can come up with your own conclusions. But in case you are wondering where I stand, this (from Vivian’s post) convinced me to get off the fence:
We deserve a government that looks after all its citizens, irrespective of political affiliation, background, ethnicity or religion. We deserve courageous leaders, not the self-satisfied cadre of extremists in the current cabinet. We deserve a functioning parliament, not the lists of yes-men and yes-women that, to serve their narrow political interests, are remaining silent and allowing this situation to drag on.So long as the government continues to put its own survival— and not that of the country— as its top priority, Israel won’t be able to begin the process of healing and rebuilding. Therefore, as much as I protest against the government, I am also protesting for all of us, and for the hope of a better future.
I’ll end with something more uplifting. Jon and Rachel, Hersh’s parents, continue to impress me (and thousands of others) with their absolute grace. They have tried to stay above the political fray. Their latest initiative is a Week of Goodness, starting today, to redeem our hostages through spreading light and acts of benevolence in the world. There are different things planned for each day; please join in whichever ways you can.
“The families of all the hostages have been running to the ends of the earth to do everything possible to help save our loved ones. But we have yet to see the result we want. We have decided to dedicate one week - from July 14th to July 21st - to surge goodness into the world. Below are some of the efforts we will be undertaking - volunteering, studying, giving charity, praying, singing, and more. Join us, or commit to your own benevolent actions. We are living in a fractured period, and our beloved hostages are in unimaginable darkness. Help us to repair and bring more light into the world.”
Amen, amen - may we all work towards making the world a better place, and may that bring about the redemption of our hostages, speedily, today, tomorrow, as soon as possible.
Other readings of interest:
The imam’s call: How 2021’s lessons kept Jaffa from sliding into fiery riots on Oct. 8 (in the Times of Israel….long article but very interesting)
So You Think You Can Tell? Etgar Keret on Roger Waters
Hanna Yerushalmi’s A Prayer for Seeing a Soldier
Persona and Identity: Who Gets to Speak by Susanna Lang (Consequence Journal) (not really Israel related but an issue I think about)
Literary Matters
Literary Modiin’s July event is happening in just a few hours! Join me today - July 14 - at 20:00 Israel time / 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific etc. to hear from Maya Arad (THE HEBREW TEACHER), Marcela Sulak (THE FAULT), and Mimi Zieman (TAP DANCING ON EVEREST. Register here.
If you want to get a jump on saving the date and registering for our August event, that will be on Sunday, August 4th, featuring Ellis Shuman (RAKIYA), Maxim D. Shrayer (KINSHIP), and Danila Botha (THINGS THAT CAUSE INAPPROPRIATE HAPPINESS), please register here.
What I’m reading: Just finished listening to This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell; currently reading Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo. Up next: The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson and Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau. Look for my reviews in the Aug 1 newsletter.
John Irving in Jerusalem: It was a pleasure to hear John Irving speak in Jerusalem the other week. He’s a great storyteller, and spoke a lot about his mother, his tattoos, his research (he once took an OBGYN class at Yale Medical School so he could understand every single procedure), and his affinity for the Jewish people. “I’m not Jewish but I’ve always been pro-Israel and pro-Jewish.” That was indeed heartwarming to hear. Thank you, John Irving!
B’sorot tovot, my friends. By the time I send out my August 1 newsletter, may all our hostages be home. May our soldiers stay safe or heal quickly, and may there be less suffering all around.
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