Sitting on the street
with women
All in white
Mostly gray, a brunette
or blond here or there.
A girl in grade school,
Her notebook open on the asphalt.
Her mother beside her, helping. Both with white t-shirts
Over their long sleeves.
There is a chill in the afternoon
JerusalemLit. City of peace From the time of David to the Roman destruction, Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and the spiritual and governmental center of the Jewish people. During the long exile, Jews longed to return to Jerusalem and wrote poems, prayers, and songs about the beloved city. In 1967, with the capture of the Old City, Jerusalem was reunited, becoming "the eternal capital of Israel." Still, the longing for peace is unfulfilled. air.
A grandmother puts her arm around her granddaughter.
A baby cries, a dog barks,
breaking the silence.
Also, men. A splattering of men
Come to support the mothers,
Grandmothers,
Daughters and sisters.
Is he inside the
House
Shuttered and gated
Hidden behind bushes?
A child ashamed
To face all these mothers.
What is his mother
Saying from heaven?
We sit for peace
We sit for life
We sit for sanity
We sit for a future
We sit to put an end to the madness
We sit to BRING THEM HOME NOW!
But we do not talk
All the words have been said
For 403 days
But no one listens
Maybe they will listen to the silence.
A text from my mother.
From where the sun is just rising.
She is trying to reach me.
Where are you? (Her code for I love you)
I could write anything, but I write the truth.
Don’t you have more important things to do?
(Her code for I care about you, worry for your health and safety)
“Move! You must move! NOW!
This is an illegal protest!
You are blocking the street!”
Shout the men (and one woman) in midnight blue.
“If you don’t, we will force you!”
The world is a narrow bridge, we sing in response
But we are not afraid.
Swaying, back and forth.
A prayer.
The sun sets, the sky goes dark as their uniforms.
We are still singing.
They are still standing.
Looking, but not moving.
An empty threat.
A no-no in Parenting 101.
Now we know we can do it again.
And again.
Maybe eventually the man inside the house will listen.
Those with less power teaching those with more
About what really matters.
I remember my mother’s message
Sitting unanswered on my lap.
No, I don’t, is my answer.
There is nothing
more important
than this
Now.
Rabbi Haviva Ner-David will be leading the upcoming Ritualwell immersion, Facing Our Death to Live More Fully: A Jewish Approach
