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.
Wartime Routine
Reality has become saturation—
the white noise of war
with the buzz of news
like lamp posts and electric wires twisted
and missed on the streets
and the drone of sighing
at smiles plastered by bus stops—
little girls play a matching game with
the big and little faces, waiting
for the bus home from school,
the hum of a dog-tagged woman,
with a Hebrew lullaby that floats from her
as she wavers through the produce section
at the grocery store:
the fine tunings of the ear
for sadness and sirens over the howl
of playing children.
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author, based on their observations and experiences.
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Abby Yucht is an emerging poet living in Jerusalem, Israel. Born and raised in Teaneck, NJ, she immigrated to Israel in 2015. She received her BA in Psychology and Musicology from Bar Ilan University and is currently an MSW student at Hebrew University. Abby works in the field of mental health rehabilitation by day and pursues various creative endeavors by night. Abby’s most recent work can be found in Bacopa Literary Review, Writing on the Wall, Write-Haus and Channel.
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