October 7 & after [by David Lehman]

October 7

If I were a general
expert at fighting the last war,
I would regard the coming invasion
with great trepidation.

If I were a cardinal
at the Vatican the night before,
would reject the explanation
after noble hesitation.

If I were to write a novel, I would call it
“Great Expectations,”
because I belong to an alien nation.

If I were to write a play, I would call it
“Great Temptations”
in praise of the saint who abandoned his station.

10 / 7 / 23;  from The NU Review, edited by Jordan Davis

October 7 is National Inner Beauty Day /  National Propane Day / and National Frappe Day

"We expected Hamas to kill Jews. We didn’t expect Americans to celebrate it. " -- Bari Weiss

The 13 women who remain hostages are Romi Gonen, 24; Naama Levy, 20; Liri Albag, 19; Ofra Keider, 70; Shiri Bibas, 33; Inbar Hayman, 27; Emily Damari, 27; Karina Ariev, 20; Agam Berger, 20; Doron Steinbrecher, 31; Arbel Yehoud, 29; Daniella Gilboa, 20; and Judy Weinstein Haggai, 70.

By Michelle Boorstein

WASHINGTON POST

October 7, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

BALA CYNWYD, Pa. — American Jews are buying guns more often. They’re going to Shabbat dinners and synagogues more often. They’re debating about Israel and antisemitism — topics many had set to the side in recent decades — more often.

A year ago, Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel set off war in the Middle East. In the United States, the surprise assault and Israel’s countering invasion of the Gaza Strip prompted mass protests on city streets and at colleges across the nation. For many of the nation’s 7.5 million Jews, the year has led to concerns over whether they are securely woven into the fabric of American life. In the intense anger directed by protesters at the Jewish state and in some cases at Jews, many of the nearly three-dozen American Jews interviewed by The Washington Post saw antisemitism they thought had long ago subsided or at minimum wasn’t acceptable to voice.