Three Columns in Three Days

Writing quickly from Tel Aviv, then Paris, as the world holds its breath.

As the Middle East waits, with breath held, for war or not-war, I have been writing as quickly as I can. It has been impossible to answer all the friends writing to ask how I am, or where I am, so I am sharing three recent columns from The Forward, all written in the past 72 hours.

I didn’t plan it this way, but now I see that they are a series.

The first takes place in a Tel Aviv jewelry store. The second takes place at a light-rail station in Petach Tikvah, Israel, and the third is set on an airplane flying from Tel Aviv to Paris. Because I write a column on language, each of these pieces has a bit of Hebrew or some other linguistic element. And each of these columns features ordinary people at a very un-ordinary time.

To accompany these columns, I am including photos of what I have been seeing on the street, so you can get a sense of the atmosphere in which these pieces were written.

Posters of slain soldiers Tzvika Lavi, a 31-year old social worker, and Rabbi Naaran Ashchar, a 32-year-old teacher, as seen in Tel Aviv. The blue letters say “ad hanitzachon,” or “until victory.” At the right and left are posters of an 18-year-old Israeli young woman, Liri Elbag, who was kidnapped on October 7th, and is still held captive by Hamas. Released hostages have said Ekbag was forced o serve her captors by cleaning and cooking food she was not allowed to eat.

The next newsletter will return to poetry, and will have information on future salons. For now, I wish all the ordinary people trying to live their lives in this hot-tempered region some much-needed quiet, calm, and peace—in other words, I hope The Washington Post’s reporting that diplomacy may avert war means that war may be avoidable, even now.

Bring Them Home now poster, not far from the American consulate in Tel Aviv. Itcdepicts the sbgusg over the continuing hostage situation.

Column 1: Jewelry Shopping in Wartime

I happen to love jewelry, so it’s not unusual that I am in a jewelry store. But this encounter felt like it had deeper meaning and broader implications, so I wrote it up. https://forward.com/culture/640365/tel-aviv-jewelry-store-israel-hamas-war/

Bracelets from a Tel Aviv jewelry store, handmade by the owner.

Column 2: The Light Rail in a Time of War

This conversation on public transportation was about the old Israel, and the new Israel. I felt it capturedcsonething of Israel in this moment. https://forward.com/culture/640812/tel-aviv-light-rail-israel-iran-netanyahu/

Light rail station in Tel Aviv, earlier this week

Column 3: Flying When War Is Predicted to Start

I didn’t want to leave Israel early, but with the threat of war getting louder, and nearly every airline cancelling flights, I left. This is my account of the experience of flying with an imminent threat of war. https://forward.com/culture/641373/leaving-israel-in-time-of-iran-war-attack-el-al/

My last salad in Tel Aviv, just before packing at lightning speed.

I'm writing this from Paris And speaking of a series, I was at the Musée d'Orsay earlier today, and noticing how many painters like the concept of a series. My favorite painter, Paul Cézanne, painted the Mont Saint-Victoire 65 times. And maybe that’s what we need now, to understand the world—a series of looks, from many different angles, in many different kinds of light.

The Seine at night. As seen earlier this evening in Paris.

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