i was on a webinar from the National Library – American writers and Israeli writers talking about what it’s like to write about oct 7.  One point that I wish we had time to develop was the idea that the language used to discuss even basic things about the war now is strange.  Say – the word ‘hostage’.  There isn’t a proper word to describe it, but there are 134 people in Gaza who were grabbed from their beds or a dance party, some were soldiers and some were babies and some were girls and some were old men.  And they are going to be traded – maybe – for thousands of terrorists who are serving sentences in prison.  What can you call them?  And what can you say about trading them?  Are they exchanged? Are they redeemed?  Are they freed?  releaseed?  found?

(I wasn’t a speaker – just a kibbitzer)