Sand and Sky

People of the Book

Gaza: A Dark Night of Hope

Gaza: A Dark Night of Hope

by | Mar 15, 2024 | , , , ,

We have not slept. Our entire city is haunted by the images, videos and stories streaming out of Gaza. Life seems heavily veiled in a haze of shared grief, fear, helplessness and even guilt as we try to understand how our tax dollars could be used by those we elected to slaughter our relatives overseas. Abdullah H. HammoudThese words from the Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, haunt me. My ancestors came to America generations ago, so I cannot imagine what it feels like to be here, to love America,...

Without Vision

Without Vision

by | Nov 30, 2023 | , ,

Decades ago I became haunted by a question: When does a war end? The suffering of refugees and veterans endures long after and far away from the hell of war. If not faced, the trauma passes from one generation to the next. Since 1948, Jews traumatized by Europe’s pogroms have traumatized Palestinians, who...

Big Ifs in Israel and Palestine

Big Ifs in Israel and Palestine

by | Nov 30, 2023 | , ,

The outbreak of war in Israel/Palestine on October 7, 2023 prompted me to post these reflections based on a visit to the Holy Land in 2007. A look at the conditions then may help us understand the current tragedy. My most recent post on the war is here. May those who have suffered most find a way to future healing.In 2006 I attended a talk by...

The Miracle of the Oil

The Miracle of the Oil

by | Dec 16, 2022 | ,

Two Prayers for Hanukkah Hanukkah focuses on the miracle of the oil, which allowed Jerusalem's Jewish community to keep the Temple candelabra burning for eight nights while having barely enough oil for one. The feast commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against Greek oppression in the 2nd century BCE. During each evening of Hanukkah, a candle is added to the menorah. Here is the blessing over the...

Your People and a Place of Ease

Your People and a Place of Ease

by | Nov 2, 2022 | ,

After fifteen years in my beloved al-Hadiyah (the Gift) hermitage in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, I moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Tucson, Arizona. I knew the shift to city living would be a jolt, and it was a comfort to hang familiar art on the walls. You step into my living...

A Slow Smile Widens

A Slow Smile Widens

by | Apr 2, 2019 | ,

In our digital age, I am amazed at how much we have to say, and how quickly, about persons or events. Just as we have a slow-food movement to counter fast-food culture, we need a slow reaction movement. Sometimes speed is essential, and sometimes speed kills. We need discernment. That takes time and discipline. For...

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