Orna Raz, at The Blogs

May 5, 2024, 8:31 AM

Day 212 Of The War: Screams Before Silence

Getting ready for tonight's demonstration in Kaplan. Ny photo of the different signs

After reading an interview by Shani Litman in Haaretz newspaper with the director Anat Stalinsky about her new documentary film focusing on the sexual crimes committed by Hamas in the massacre on October 7th, I decided to watch 'Screams...

Apr 29, 2024, 9:47 PM

Day 206 Of The War: We Were Taken Hostage

My photo of the different homemade signs that people held in Kaplan on Saturday April 27th

People in Israel find it hard to believe that not all Gazans support Hamas because otherwise, how come they have not revolted against their government? Now the same question is rightly directed toward Israel, as it is clear that...

Apr 27, 2024, 7:20 AM

Day 204 Of The War: Iran Hostage Crisis Revisited

As the situation with the hostages continues and there is no end in sight, I began thinking about the attack on the US embassy in Iran on November 4, 1979 and that hostage crisis. At the time, we still...

Apr 22, 2024, 11:22 AM

Day 199 Of The War: ‘This Pesach, It’s All Bitter Herb’

"This Pesach Is All Bitter Herb," my photo of the demonstration in Kaplan last Saturday

Another week flew by with nothing positive on the horizon, and then it was Saturday night at Kaplan again. It was an especially poignant demonstration. Noa Korman Yair, a psychologist from the south and a specialist in post-trauma who...

Apr 16, 2024, 12:37 AM

Day 192 Of The War: Another Week

My photo of the demonstration in Kaplan on April 13th, 2024

Like every week, I was going to write about the latest protest against the government and the demand to bring back the hostages last Saturday night. But as we left Kaplan to go home, we heard about Iran’s missile...

Apr 10, 2024, 12:08 PM

Day 189 Of The War: ״Let My People Go״

My photo of the Families tent outside the Knesset

As we draw closer to Passover, the hope of seeing the hostages reunited with their families around the Seder tables seems unreal. Now, it seems like in the Bible and the Haggadah, Pharaoh won’t let them go. The idea...

Apr 6, 2024, 11:54 PM

Day 183 Of The War: The Sites of The Shoah

A photo I took of a mobile shelter in the entrance of Kibbutz Mefalsim. Inside there are memorial candle and a flag of Israel

This morning, a group of us was invited by our friends to Maale Habsor, 5 km away from the Gaza border. Our friends that grow Geranium, moved there in 1982 after being evacuated from the Yamit region in the...

Apr 2, 2024, 7:26 PM

Day 179 Of The War: Outside The Knesset Today

At the families tent, getting ready for the march outside the Knesset, "wee all are hostages". My photo

I didn’t have a chance to attend the mass demonstration near the Knesset on Sunday, but I heard it was amazing and that more than a hundred thousand people attended the event aimed at pressuring the government to bring...

Mar 31, 2024, 6:12 PM

Day 177 of The War: Finally A Breakthrough In Kaplan?

My photo of Einav Zangauker, the mother of Matan who is a hostage in Gaza, speaking in Kaplan

Last night, I was quite tired and distressed and didn’t feel like going to Kaplan yet again. Sometimes, when this happens, it helps to arrange ahead of time to meet a friend there. But unfortunately, that didn’t happen, and...

Mar 28, 2024, 12:34 AM

Day 173 of the War: Mishlo’ach Manos and Responsibility

The favorite cookies and cakes courtesy of the volunteer who brought them. (courtesy)

Two days ago, we heard that Boeing CEO David Calhoun will step down due to the embarrassing failure of the panel that blew off a Boeing 737 Max jetliner during a flight last January. In the Israeli media, journalists...

About Me

I hold a PhD in English Literature from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, specializing in writing about issues related to women, literature, culture, and society. Having lived in the US for 15 years (between 1979-1994), I bring a diverse perspective to my work. As a widow, in March 2016, I initiated a support and growth-oriented Facebook group for widows named "Widows Move On." The group has now grown to over 2000 members, providing a valuable space for mutual support and understanding.