The months since October 7, 2023 have changed something in the world as well as something in me. The barbaric attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians shook Israel to its core. Families murdered. Women assaulted. Hundreds taken hostage. I spoke almost daily with friends in Israel. The grief in their voices was raw. The fear was … Continue reading
Category Archives: Israel
If you want to help Palestine, do something that matters.
I guess I need to start by saying that while I am a supporter of Israel, I am not a supporter of its current government and in particular how it has conducted itself in Gaza. I must also say that Hamas and its supporters are aberrant. They are both religious fanatics but also scum. How … Continue reading
Israel and Palestine: A Personal Proposal
I’ve lived in Israel twice in my life—first in the seventies, then again from 2015 to 2023. Back in the seventies, I lived just a few miles from the West Bank. I could cross over freely. The men who built our garden came from Gaza. Life felt complicated, yes, but also connected. In my most … Continue reading
Israel and the Future of the Jewish People Part II
The history of the Jewish people before the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel around 1000 BCE, under King David, is not fully understood. What we do know is that the ancestors of the Jewish nation lived in Canaan. The Kingdom of Israel was their first independent state. Over time, the land was conquered repeatedly—first … Continue reading
Israel and the Future of the Jewish People: Part I
I am deeply saddened and concerned about what has been happening in Israel, especially since October 7, 2023. But it did not begin that day. For years, Israel has been shifting steadily to the right, particularly under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu. Ironically, had Arab citizens of Israel voted at the same rate as Jewish … Continue reading
A Week in Tel Aviv – What I Learned
We left Israel, where we had been living for eight years, for a trip to Europe on October 3, 2023, stopping first for five days in Bodrum, Turkey. It was there that I heard the news of October 7th. Like so many, I was stunned. We decided to continue our trip in Europe and return … Continue reading
Yossi Elaz 1947-2024
Yossi Elaz (left and Israel Brill (right). Rehovot Israel aroundd 1978. Me at that time Sadly, I am writing once more about a dear friend, Yossi Elza) who passed away a few days ago. The number of such occasions is accelerating, I am afraid. I moved to Israel for the first time in 1974, fifty … Continue reading
Why does Iran want to destroy Israel
To understand situation in Israel now, one has to understand the role of Iran. Most people know that Iran is the center of all the terrorist activities directed at Israel by its proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Some of the terrorist actions originating from the West Bank do not have a direct … Continue reading
Israel and the Shattered Mirror
I try to write about Israel and, in particular, the war, which began on Oct. 7th, but I become overwhelmed with emotion and confusion. I feel like I am looking at my image in a shattered mirror. I can recognize myself in the fragments, but parts of my face are missing or distorted. There is … Continue reading
The Book I Never Finished Writing
It was the summer of 1966. I was 21 years old. Having spent almost a year in Europe mainly in Paris and London writing poetry, it had been my plan to emigrate to Israel and live on a kibbutz. I had gotten as far as Athens when for reasons I still do not understand, I … Continue reading
Two Thirds Done 