frisrael

[frisrael]

A brit and the lessons in a single photo

This is a photo (I didn’t take) of my friend Tzvika Mor at his grandson’s brit. Every brit is special. This one has added layers of meaning and a message for us all. The brit (which means covenant in Hebrew) is the circumcision ceremony performed when a Jewish boy is eight days old. At this ceremony, the boy joins the covenant between God and the Nation of Israel; he’s given his name and…

[frisrael]

Q&A with Jews Who Don’t Realize They Are Anti-Israel

Normally, I write stories. This is a different kind of story – a real conversation I had online with Jews who don’t live in Israel but follow the situation closely, support Israeli causes, and even participate in Israeli groups. Which is why their perspective was so upsetting. It is one thing when hateful people spout anti-Jewish, anti-Israeli propaganda. It is much more hurtful and damaging…

[frisrael]

What do you say to a mother with a broken heart?

This sign stands in the traffic circle at the entrance to our neighborhood. It reads: “The community of the French Carmel bows its head in mourning for Sergeant First Class (Res.) Benyamin Asulin, of blessed memory, who fell in battle.” The shiva for Benny Asulin is over, and already there are other soldiers to bury. Other families sitting shiva. And Benny’s smiling face looks out at us from…

[frisrael]

So many good boys...

So many good boys… This week we attended the funeral of Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin. He was 28 years old. His family lives one road above mine. This is the picture that Ben used on his LinkedIn profile. He was a Senior Systems Administrator at MyHeritage. Everyone’s heart broke seeing Ben’s mother walking behind his coffin, moaning: “Ben, Ben. My son.” She described telling him:…

[frisrael]

Israeli whiplash: from the bomb shelter to a ceasefire

“I hope I don’t see you again.” That’s not something normal people say to their neighbors. But these are not normal times—even for Israel. And when I said it, I got a smile, a hug, and the same words back: “I hope I don’t see you again either.” When the siren screams at 3:00 a.m., we bolt out of bed, grab whatever clothes we can, and run to the shelter. There we wait, bleary-eyed: the nice…

[frisrael]

Israel’s message on the Eurovision stage

The 2024 Eurovision contest took place less than half a year after the October 7th invasion of Israel. Reeling from the day Gaza brought the Holocaust to the Jewish State it was natural to submit a song that referenced the recent national trauma. The Eurovision committee declared the entry political, and rejected it. Because being Jewish and alive is political. Because being Jewish and…

[frisrael]

“It’s not about the numbers. It’s about justice.”

Yasser Arafat, one of the most effective PR content creators of all time, said this to Israeli reporter Zvi Yechezkeli when asked why he rejected Ehud Barak’s Camp David proposal and reignited the Intifada. Yechezkeli was shocked to discover that to Arafat, being offered nearly everything he demanded was not seen as a magnanimous gesture by Jews willing to compromise for peace. To Arafat, it was…

[frisrael]

Unveiling a Memorial, Discovering Hope

The families came quietly, unsure of what to expect. Their eyes widened in astonishment, seeing how many people they had never met had come together, just to say: You are not alone.We were attending an unveiling ceremony for a memorial built to honor their children: Capt. Sahar Saudian, Sgt. Binyamin Gavriel Yonah, and Sgt. Nativ Kuzaro, killed by Hamas Nukhba terrorists on October 7th. My…

[frisrael]

How do we heal from the trauma of this war?

Healing from trauma is complicated. Any trauma. Bereavement, injury, sexual assault, survivor’s guilt, the shattering of long-held ideals that shaped our understanding of reality… Any of these alone is an extreme challenge to address, much less heal. The October 7th invasion and the subsequent war wove all of these traumas into complex layers, interwoven, widespread, and piling on top of…

[frisrael]

Another Wall? Have You Lost Your Mind?!

A new wall has appeared along the highway near Israel’s southern town of Sderot. Since the war began, the train has been forced to take a long detour to reach Sderot because this stretch of track is visible from Gaza—leaving it vulnerable to anti-tank missiles. Now, a wall stands to block the view, ensuring that terrorists in Gaza can no longer take aim at the train—or at least not as easily.…

[frisrael]

“Because here, I feel at home”

In Kibbutz Gvulot we helped harvest red grapefruits. The fruit is designated for industrial use, meaning it will be used for juice, jam, and other products. Each generation has defining moments that give rise to the questions: “Where were you when…?” and “What was it like when…?” In America, for my mother’s generation, it was “Where were you when Kennedy was shot?” and “Where were you during the…

[frisrael]

Batman weeps: A mother’s fight, two little lions, and a nation forever changed

How much impact can a person have on the world when they are only given four years to live? Words shape reality. They give form to our emotions and channel their power. That’s why I believe it is so important to articulate what we feel in response to the murder of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas. I’ve seen it written that Ariel loved Batman. I didn’t know him, so I don’t know how deep that love…

[frisrael]

"I could never strangle a baby!"

Many around the world began to grasp the depth of Gazan depravity when it was revealed that baby Kfir Bibas, just 10 months old, and his four-year-old brother Ariel were strangled to death and then mutilated by Gazans (not Hamas) while being held hostage in Gaza sometime in November 2023. The Bibas children were taken alive, along with their mother Shiri, during the “Al Aqsa Flood” invasion of…

[frisrael]

We need to talk about being angry

[frisrael]

Emily Damari: "I’m back 🤟🏽"

Emily Damari is a giant. A rock star. A Maccabee. Today (at least one of) Israel’s newspapers featured the image Emily posted on her Instagram account, which she titled: I’m back 🤟🏽 In the photo, she’s sitting on a couch outside her destroyed home in Kfar Azza. The contrast between Emily, alive and victorious, outside the evidence of the horror she survived (including the sign on the building…

[frisrael]

The Bibas family is being used as psychological warfare against us

ATTENTION: Don’t allow your kindness to be used to hurt us more than we are already hurt. Our enemies have had too many victories over us, we cannot allow them this one too.The Bibas family is being used as psychological warfare against us Awareness and grounding is crucial in making sure the enemy cannot hurt us more than they already have on the backs of this precious family. On October 7th…

[frisrael]

My thoughts on the terrorist release deal

I have friends, people I deeply admire, whose sons are hostages in Gaza – and will be left behind by this terrorist release deal with no assurance that they will ever be released. I have friends who are worried that the terrorists who tried to murder them will be released. And they might even be able to swallow that horror if all the hostages were to be released but the deal only speaks of some…