Brilliant writing. ..... the tears are unending. The only thing I must say as having been kidnapped for a ransom, , water boarded as a child and more.... is that I wish I had had the freedom to end the life of my torturer.
I have spent a lifetime in the belly of these questions you here unearth.
I have ways to stay the demons I wrestle with in every breath of my living in the darkening world. The flashbacks, the nightmares, the hunger for voice have been opened, the wounds bleed,
I have ways I stay them one day to share beyond my ballads. Now, I am in mourning and pray for embracement.
I live to see retribution by G-D's hand alone when amalek's derivatives, bastards are ripped out of our eyes! We have the right to open our torn sails into the ruach of The Devine, we have the right to be the defenders of our beloved people; We have the right to BE.
Am YisroEil Chai; Never Again, Never Forget what amalek did to our kinsmen.
I'm in the United States, but have faced equally vehement hatred as a "captive", even now. I can't begin to explain the terror and abuse I face as a Targeted Individual--the terror takes place in my head, and when speaking about it, I feel shameful that I alienate people. All the while, these Nazi culprits enjoy total inculpability. And that numbs me. You're a beautiful light, Ilana, and your compassion helps deliver me from this condition. I pray that the hostages are delivered too, soon. It is a complex situation to navigate, but as long as our hearts remain in it, like with the compassion you show, G-d will prevail through His people. G-d's speed.
The lives of IDF military personnel are more important than that of the hostages. Any of the mentioned deals will kill IDF people. A responsible government would not make any deal with Hamas. Just because the families of IDF personnel, who are more numerous than the hostage families, aren't demonstating doesn't mean that there won't be real harm to politicians if IDF personnel are harmed by the deal. If Netanyahu had the courage to say no deals, the Hamas treasure would become worthless to them. If they killed them, they would lose their supporters in places like Harvard.
frankly, there are too many Jews, certainly in America and I’m sure everywhere, aggressive, and intelligent, that are too willing to get on any gravy train that advances their careers and lines their pocketbooks
A whole nay-shun gits PTSD from this--knowin' there is no certainty the "gubbamint" will be white hats on white horses ta save them, knowin' that since 10/7 it's all changed, a new set've rules. Jus' gave a listen ta newscaster Lucy Aharish talkin' 'bout fear now of her son becomin' a hostage--she's thinkin' of where to hide her 4 year old boy--in the washer? where? There is no answer... so as ya said, the trauma is collective in a way that folks outside've Israel cannot possibly comprehend. But I do understand the soul-dilemma ya covered so well---it's what I'd say is 'tween a rock an'a hard place--no answers--but worse, no answers for the hostages... they surely must know this. An' even the hostage situation's got cooties--meanin' there are those that want ya ta look "here not there"--laser pointer--distractions.
Rabbi Chananya Weissman link here (
https://rumble.com/v49fjnc-israel-hamas-war-is-there-more-to-this-conflict-than-meets-the-eye-rabi-cha.html ) feels the whole hostage situation has been co-OPted (emphasis on the OP tho' yes, the people are very REAL) --at the 26 min mark he talks about this "Bring 'em Home" foundation / movement bein' (as my younger daughter'd say) "sus"... Also, he worries 'bout the killin' of the IDF soldiers (meanin' intentional depopulation, sendin' 'em to their early ends 'fore they can be fathers, raise famblies....unprepared young'uns who may not come home...) Rabbi Weissman "don't" mince words...
As ya said, it's all so sad, painful--what these good folks underwent...an' even if they are returned they are so damaged...might never be "ok".... Meanwhile here state-side the innertubes are aflame with more hatred fer us "chews"--also, from chews!--yer not allowed ta have ANY sympathy fer the people of Israel in this battle. I'm findin' it gut-wrenchin'--near daily I see some poster I'd exchanged comm-mints with, "kibbitzed with" even about covid, polly-ticks, but now.... the stuff they say, omgolly, it's so ugly. Today one joked about theivin' jews at Davos that'd soon be missin' their gold teeth.... (no, this I cannot joke about...)
Maaaany good points there--enjoyed it muchly (in spite'a the impossible puzzle of anti-zionism that is kinda spreadin' like heat rash at summer camp!) Bein' a new yawker we got more "refusniks" than most places an' I cain't emphasize enuf what Izabella said 'bout them not even havin' ANY Chewish education when they came over here--no temple as kids, no holidays, no nuttin' an' STILL they wuz persecuted! My ol' friend Sergei had NEVER celebrated Hanukkah when he came here--he knew nuttin' of bein' chewish 'cept that he WUZ. He told me he wuz "learnin' "-- they'd settled in Brighton Beach which wuz, back in the early 1990's, a good place ta learn, also good fer knishes (hopefully by now, he's figgerd it out! we lost touch over the years...)
So when people say ta me "WHY? when ya know chews 're livin' everywhere should they 'vant' a country of their own?" 'specially when said country wuz founded by full-out secular chews no less!-- the RussianRefusniks are a prime example WHY-- chobs they couldn't hold, glass(tea) ceilin', diff'rent treat-mint, jeers / bully'in, yadayada like Izabella.
Sergei's parents were profs. in the sciences an' they couldn't advance at university b/c "chews." I dunno how it worked then (tenure? better positions?) but their story wuz told by thousands... thus even when chews minded their p's an' q's an' did bupkis "chewish" livin' without holidays, temple, faith, "kulcha" they STILL got treated like an old sock!
We all know that Hitler (natch) didn't care 'bout the "deets"--nobuddy gits that.
Folks don't git that--they think that if chews just stay quiet (nu? this is possible?) an' raise a wan pinkie fer the pro-palestine protests an' say "I'm not religious" or "ok, I'm a choo but I'm not a zionist" (like it's a curse word--ugh) then they'll be FINE?
Sigh. That all said, if sum'buddy don't combat whut's goin' on in the "comments" but pronto (gotta put on my armor just ta read many'a stack)--which is anti-jewish uglies on STEROIDS here (an' them Protocols are quite popular EVEN among folks I'd think better've)...then I'm not sure we kin "restore" our reputation as a people at all....
Meantimes, many thanks for all ya do Ilana, an' keep the interviews comin' !
This is a beautiful and horrific essay, Ilana. I have followed you since Jerusalem Report Episode 1 -- our ideas and musings and conclusions, without exception, have aligned for several years. So I must tell you, I am beginning to feel like I did during a particular summer in the early 1990s, when I attempted to take a pre-med physics class -- meant to be spread out over a semester -- condensed into several weeks. On day 2, I became confused. In this condensed course, the first exam was on Day 3. By the end of the week, it was clear that there was something fundamental missing from my understanding. This is how I feel about the conflict in the middle east. I have no relatives involved, and covid-era people I followed for years (and have grown to trust) are all over the map with respect to these inter-related topics -- their varied experiences and perspectives confuse me further. I think - as I listened to this episode - I was constantly filling in 'Israel' with my own interpretation / my own guess about how you were defining ...Does Ilana mean 'Israel, The People Currently on Land' or 'Israel, the Historic People of The Land' or 'Israel, A Nation of Believers or 'Israel, a Corporation Aligned w/ Pfizer' or 'Israel, a Corporation Allied with Global Forces' etc. I am concerned that I am falling behind, still able to appreciate the stories and testaments, but unable to wrap my head around the fundamentals. My plan is to return to last week's episode #2 and listen again -- attempt to catch up... Unlike physics, I have no desire to drop the course.
Israel is each of those depending on the context and even another name or two. It is all the countenances of Israel - the nation state, the corporation, the ideology, the integrity, the prayer, the reality, the potential - that we seek to identify and describe In the context of "The Common Denominator". (Whereas "The Jerusalem Report" faces the global resetting)
Brilliant writing. ..... the tears are unending. The only thing I must say as having been kidnapped for a ransom, , water boarded as a child and more.... is that I wish I had had the freedom to end the life of my torturer.
I have spent a lifetime in the belly of these questions you here unearth.
I have ways to stay the demons I wrestle with in every breath of my living in the darkening world. The flashbacks, the nightmares, the hunger for voice have been opened, the wounds bleed,
I have ways I stay them one day to share beyond my ballads. Now, I am in mourning and pray for embracement.
I live to see retribution by G-D's hand alone when amalek's derivatives, bastards are ripped out of our eyes! We have the right to open our torn sails into the ruach of The Devine, we have the right to be the defenders of our beloved people; We have the right to BE.
Am YisroEil Chai; Never Again, Never Forget what amalek did to our kinsmen.
ONE STATE🇮🇱.
RL
I'm in the United States, but have faced equally vehement hatred as a "captive", even now. I can't begin to explain the terror and abuse I face as a Targeted Individual--the terror takes place in my head, and when speaking about it, I feel shameful that I alienate people. All the while, these Nazi culprits enjoy total inculpability. And that numbs me. You're a beautiful light, Ilana, and your compassion helps deliver me from this condition. I pray that the hostages are delivered too, soon. It is a complex situation to navigate, but as long as our hearts remain in it, like with the compassion you show, G-d will prevail through His people. G-d's speed.
Thank you for your touching words, Julie. I wish you deep healing.
The lives of IDF military personnel are more important than that of the hostages. Any of the mentioned deals will kill IDF people. A responsible government would not make any deal with Hamas. Just because the families of IDF personnel, who are more numerous than the hostage families, aren't demonstating doesn't mean that there won't be real harm to politicians if IDF personnel are harmed by the deal. If Netanyahu had the courage to say no deals, the Hamas treasure would become worthless to them. If they killed them, they would lose their supporters in places like Harvard.
frankly, there are too many Jews, certainly in America and I’m sure everywhere, aggressive, and intelligent, that are too willing to get on any gravy train that advances their careers and lines their pocketbooks
It’s beyond disappointing ….
A whole nay-shun gits PTSD from this--knowin' there is no certainty the "gubbamint" will be white hats on white horses ta save them, knowin' that since 10/7 it's all changed, a new set've rules. Jus' gave a listen ta newscaster Lucy Aharish talkin' 'bout fear now of her son becomin' a hostage--she's thinkin' of where to hide her 4 year old boy--in the washer? where? There is no answer... so as ya said, the trauma is collective in a way that folks outside've Israel cannot possibly comprehend. But I do understand the soul-dilemma ya covered so well---it's what I'd say is 'tween a rock an'a hard place--no answers--but worse, no answers for the hostages... they surely must know this. An' even the hostage situation's got cooties--meanin' there are those that want ya ta look "here not there"--laser pointer--distractions.
Rabbi Chananya Weissman link here (
https://rumble.com/v49fjnc-israel-hamas-war-is-there-more-to-this-conflict-than-meets-the-eye-rabi-cha.html ) feels the whole hostage situation has been co-OPted (emphasis on the OP tho' yes, the people are very REAL) --at the 26 min mark he talks about this "Bring 'em Home" foundation / movement bein' (as my younger daughter'd say) "sus"... Also, he worries 'bout the killin' of the IDF soldiers (meanin' intentional depopulation, sendin' 'em to their early ends 'fore they can be fathers, raise famblies....unprepared young'uns who may not come home...) Rabbi Weissman "don't" mince words...
As ya said, it's all so sad, painful--what these good folks underwent...an' even if they are returned they are so damaged...might never be "ok".... Meanwhile here state-side the innertubes are aflame with more hatred fer us "chews"--also, from chews!--yer not allowed ta have ANY sympathy fer the people of Israel in this battle. I'm findin' it gut-wrenchin'--near daily I see some poster I'd exchanged comm-mints with, "kibbitzed with" even about covid, polly-ticks, but now.... the stuff they say, omgolly, it's so ugly. Today one joked about theivin' jews at Davos that'd soon be missin' their gold teeth.... (no, this I cannot joke about...)
Respondin' ta episode #4 (cuz paywall)--
Maaaany good points there--enjoyed it muchly (in spite'a the impossible puzzle of anti-zionism that is kinda spreadin' like heat rash at summer camp!) Bein' a new yawker we got more "refusniks" than most places an' I cain't emphasize enuf what Izabella said 'bout them not even havin' ANY Chewish education when they came over here--no temple as kids, no holidays, no nuttin' an' STILL they wuz persecuted! My ol' friend Sergei had NEVER celebrated Hanukkah when he came here--he knew nuttin' of bein' chewish 'cept that he WUZ. He told me he wuz "learnin' "-- they'd settled in Brighton Beach which wuz, back in the early 1990's, a good place ta learn, also good fer knishes (hopefully by now, he's figgerd it out! we lost touch over the years...)
So when people say ta me "WHY? when ya know chews 're livin' everywhere should they 'vant' a country of their own?" 'specially when said country wuz founded by full-out secular chews no less!-- the RussianRefusniks are a prime example WHY-- chobs they couldn't hold, glass(tea) ceilin', diff'rent treat-mint, jeers / bully'in, yadayada like Izabella.
Sergei's parents were profs. in the sciences an' they couldn't advance at university b/c "chews." I dunno how it worked then (tenure? better positions?) but their story wuz told by thousands... thus even when chews minded their p's an' q's an' did bupkis "chewish" livin' without holidays, temple, faith, "kulcha" they STILL got treated like an old sock!
We all know that Hitler (natch) didn't care 'bout the "deets"--nobuddy gits that.
Folks don't git that--they think that if chews just stay quiet (nu? this is possible?) an' raise a wan pinkie fer the pro-palestine protests an' say "I'm not religious" or "ok, I'm a choo but I'm not a zionist" (like it's a curse word--ugh) then they'll be FINE?
Sigh. That all said, if sum'buddy don't combat whut's goin' on in the "comments" but pronto (gotta put on my armor just ta read many'a stack)--which is anti-jewish uglies on STEROIDS here (an' them Protocols are quite popular EVEN among folks I'd think better've)...then I'm not sure we kin "restore" our reputation as a people at all....
Meantimes, many thanks for all ya do Ilana, an' keep the interviews comin' !
This is a beautiful and horrific essay, Ilana. I have followed you since Jerusalem Report Episode 1 -- our ideas and musings and conclusions, without exception, have aligned for several years. So I must tell you, I am beginning to feel like I did during a particular summer in the early 1990s, when I attempted to take a pre-med physics class -- meant to be spread out over a semester -- condensed into several weeks. On day 2, I became confused. In this condensed course, the first exam was on Day 3. By the end of the week, it was clear that there was something fundamental missing from my understanding. This is how I feel about the conflict in the middle east. I have no relatives involved, and covid-era people I followed for years (and have grown to trust) are all over the map with respect to these inter-related topics -- their varied experiences and perspectives confuse me further. I think - as I listened to this episode - I was constantly filling in 'Israel' with my own interpretation / my own guess about how you were defining ...Does Ilana mean 'Israel, The People Currently on Land' or 'Israel, the Historic People of The Land' or 'Israel, A Nation of Believers or 'Israel, a Corporation Aligned w/ Pfizer' or 'Israel, a Corporation Allied with Global Forces' etc. I am concerned that I am falling behind, still able to appreciate the stories and testaments, but unable to wrap my head around the fundamentals. My plan is to return to last week's episode #2 and listen again -- attempt to catch up... Unlike physics, I have no desire to drop the course.
Israel is each of those depending on the context and even another name or two. It is all the countenances of Israel - the nation state, the corporation, the ideology, the integrity, the prayer, the reality, the potential - that we seek to identify and describe In the context of "The Common Denominator". (Whereas "The Jerusalem Report" faces the global resetting)
Therein lies our challenge.
Thank you for seeking that clarification.