Scenes from a War

Two quick stories, plus a note of thanks to my 700+ (!) subscribers …

That’s so Israel

Our family has a running joke about a tv sitcom called “That’s So Grandma”, where the punchline for every joke is .. womp womp, that’s so grandma! I’m reusing an in-joke here for the title because I’m exhausted from waking every two hours to air raid sirens. This war is a little like having a newborn who wakes you every two hours by shrieking, except the newborn also wants to kill you.

My husband and I were sitting in a flower filled ditch by the side of the road, watching the Iron Dome explode missiles overhead.

As the air raid siren died down, a car pulled off the road to join us. A man got out, a silver pendant the shape of Israel twinkling in the sunlight. He heard us speaking English and asked where we were from.

“New York,” we said. “But we live in Tel Aviv now.”

He shook his head, and asked what it was really like in Mamdani’s New York.

“Jews get attacked every day,” we said. “There’s antisemitism in the schools and it’s getting worse.”

“It’s good you’re here,” he said. “You’ll be much safer.”

Another missile exploded over our heads.

“I have to go work,” said the man. Like everyone else in Israel, he’d been called up for reserve duty. He’s a mechanic.

“Without me, nothing will go,” he explained, heading towards his car. As he walked away, his phone rang.

“Hi Dad,” I heard him say — I smiled, knowing that parents across the nation were all currently checking on their kids.

“Have a good day,” called the man. “Enjoy the sunshine!”

Moments later, our kids, who are out of the country right now, called to check on us. All is well, we assured them. Just another day in Israel.

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Bomb shelters we visited on our drive home from the north, ranked.

1. Shelter that is also a hammam - First shelter of the day, at the hotel. Warm, a bit humid, felt very secure, full of orthodox French people.

2. Roadside ditch - Beautiful location, right next to the Sea of Galilee, surrounded by flowers. Watched missiles explode with a guy on his way to reserve duty. Not the safest, but 10/10 for company and endtimes vibe.

3. Gas station storage room. Pretty tight- atmosphere was NYC subway meets crowded elevator - but nice combination of kids in Pjs and armed soldiers. It’s giving “war is stupid but we’re all gonna be ok.”

4. Highway underpass - Cold because I left my jacket in the car, nods between people but not much chatter, easy bathroom access but not recommended.

5. Public shelter - Stood in the shelter until some other people showed up and said we just needed to be NEAR the shelter, not in it yet. Smelled like urine, full of garbage, old Times Square subway station vibes, though without any visible human feces. 0 stars.

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In other news, I am finding my way to new media outlets after learning my usual places like the New York Times and Washington Post wouldn’t publish any writing that doesn’t conform to their very narrow and biased viewpoints on Israel.

Here’s my first for the Jewish News Syndicate, which sounds like a global conspiracy theory but is actually just a Jewish news site.

https://www.jns.org/graffiti-group-how-a-bunch-of-brooklynites-took-matters-into-their-own-hands/

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I started this Substack over a year ago, after being shut out of both my writing and civic tech networks for being the wrong kind of Jew. I lost friends, family, my work identity, and my writing outlets.

For my readers who have been with me from the start, thank you for coming with me on this journey as I worked out how to exist in the new space I’d suddenly been forced into. Thanks for sticking with me as I figured out what to do with this Substack, how to live my life, and what it looks like to live as a proud, but safe, Jewish woman.

On Yom Kippur, Jews wish each other an easy fast, because no one has a good or fun fast. To that end, I wish everyone an easy war — may it be over quickly, may there be no more loss of life, and may we all be safer for it.

-Hana