back to the motherland

in solidarity with the refugees returning to their homes in southern lebanon and northern israel yesterday, i too returned to my place of birth after the delicately brokered ceasefire went into effect monday morning. while I’m planning on making my stay in the states temporary, i hope that they will be able to stay for good, in safety and peace.

sounds in tel aviv-jaffa on erev tisha b’av:

-waiters sweeping and stacking chairs; secular cafes closing early against their will
-na na nachmanites chanting on the tayelet (beach promenade), trying to remind the tel aviv population to mourn the destruction of the first and second temples
-explosion of a suspicious object by the bomb squad in front of the david intercontinental hotel
-ace of base’s “all that she wants” blasting from an old white subaru, with four young men singing along at the top of their lungs

slogans from protest against the war outside the american embassy

(translated from hebrew and/or arabic)
yes, yes to peace; no, no to war
we wont kill or be killed in the service of the united states
in beirut and in the towns, children want to live
in gaza and in sderot, children want to live
jews and arabs refuse to be enemies

(in english)
1,2,3,4 we don’t want your fucking war

posters held at counter-protest across the street

(translated from hebrew)
children in the north want to sleep
mothers in the north want safety
nas-ra-llah, hiz-bla-bla