blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

When the families of the hostages first set up their camp in front of the museum I went there to speak with them, to comfort them.  And I found myself speechless.  I bought necklaces for everyone and was silent.  Then I met friends who had kids in the army and hadn’t slept for weeks.  i could barely comfort, but at least made an effort.  Then I met Arab friends who hastened to move away from any conversation about the war.  I felt that way too.

Today I heard a woman on the radio who lost 4 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren and a few other relatives when their house was bombed in Gaza.  She lives in Israel and can barely communicate with her son-in-law because the connections are bad so she knows her daughter is okay but she can’t reach her.  “What do you think of those people who say that everyone in Gaza is Hamas?” the reporter asks her.  Like all of us, she answers, she just wants this nightmare to be over.  She lived in Gaza for many years – before there was Hamas – and she never found the people to be more violent than others.  May everyone go home and live in peace, she concludes…. 

 

sympathy – feb 15, 2024 Read Post »

blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

You mean there are Arabs in Israel?  An old friend in England who hasn’t been in touch with me for a while.  Let me see, I thought for a moment.  On each of the three channels we watch there are news reporters and moderators who are Arab.  The 5 pharmacists in the drugstore I visited today were Arab.  There are at least 5 Arabs living in my building.  I didn’t see whether there were Arabs or not in the restaurant I was in today, but that was because I can’t tell the difference until we converse.  And then only sometimes.  At least fifty thousand workers from Gaza and the West Bank haven’t been able to come here since the war.  I have Arab friends but I haven’t seen most of them since the war began.  We are all suffering from this separation.

the 25% – feb 14, 2024 Read Post »

israeli politics

Yesterday when I showed my gums to my dentist, she nodded.  “Everybody’s got gum trouble now!”  And when I showed my sleep chart to my doctor, she said “everyone’s got irregular heart trouble now.” Stress,” they said, separately, “that’s why the covid and flu numbers are up.”  

And here I thought I was handling it so well. So trained am I in danger and death, and here I’ve had every single sign of stress – including dehydration.

hair, skin, gums, flu – feb 13, 2024 Read Post »

israeli politics

It seems like that’s all we think about, these hostages.  Two were finally rescued last night, and we’re all going crazy.  And what of the others?  We wear the necklaces and the yellow ribbon pin, we listen to endless interviews of the families of the hostages and know each name and the circumstances of their capture.  

Even people who seem to be totally concerned with their own lives break down at a certain point.  

I wonder how the people in the square next to the museum, the courts, the opera, the theater, feel about those of us who are continuing their lives.  Do they know that we’re with them, even though we’re trying to stay strong?

 

hostage fever – feb 12, 2024 Read Post »

israeli politics

scared myself.  but i’m back and i’m safe.  either I’m just scared and making mistakes or somebody doesn’t like me.  but i spent the day getting this fixed and i’ll have a new entry shortly – as soon as I figure things out on this site.

first i wanted to protect the safety. 

scared you? Read Post »

blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

let’s make this week a better one than last week.  Every day I feel just a bit better, but somehow I’m still overwhelmed.  I joined too many clubs, watch too much news, tried too hard to plan events for the IAWE and for me, and now I can’t keep up.  Kids have birthdays, friends have problems, relatives pass away, and some are unforgivably angry at me.  My children go to demonstrations and think about moving away.  Last year I met one of our cousins at a demonstration and now she’s in  Australia.  So there is this slight feeling of imposed depression –  depression that is not based on a lack of interesting things to do, but on a sense that Hamas, Hizballah, and the government don’t want me to feel good.  But somehow I’m going to make it a good week.

 

good week – feb 10, 2024 Read Post »