This piece is part of our Witnessing series, which shares pieces from Israeli authors and authors in Israel, as well as the experiences of Jewish writers around the globe in the aftermath of October 7th.
It is critical to understand history not just through the books that will be written later, but also through the first-hand testimonies and real-time accounting of events as they occur. At Jewish Book Council, we understand the value of these written testimonials and of sharing these individual experiences. It’s more important now than ever to give space to these voices and narratives.
In collaboration with the Jewish Book Council, JBI is recording writers’ first-hand accounts, as shared with and published by JBC, to increase the accessibility of these accounts for individuals who are blind, have low vision or are print disabled.
How to plant
in one’s heart
that his future
was not axed
on that holiday
How to explain
a leaf
a tree trunk
a branch
can be burnt
even a root
can be
uprooted
But seeds of promise
like the stars
like light
planted
in the heart of
a nation
who knows
the taste of
sour grapes
Cannot be
weeded out.
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author, based on their observations and experiences.
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Tamarah Touvian was born in the US and raised in Israel where she completed her studies in Education and bible studies. She has been teaching Bible, Jewish studies, Hebrew language and literature, and aspects of Israeli culture and society since 1995 to present.Tamarah returned to the US in 2005 and currently resides in Connecticut with her family. Her first book of poetry, Pathways, was published in Hebrew in Israel in 2022.