Israel's authors in the shadow of war: between pain and thoughtfulness

Israel's authors in the shadow of war: between pain and thoughtfulness

On October 7, 2023, Israel was haunted by a devastating terrorist attack by Hamas, which triggered intensive emotions in many people. The Israeli criminal author Dror Mishani, who was in France at the time, was faced with the difficult decision to either return to Israel or bring his family to safety. These fateful events led to a variety of reactions and works that deal with terror and its consequences.

A significant part of the reaction to the attack was books by Israeli writers who carried their thoughts and feelings into the public. The author Lee Yaron, who works for the "Haaretz" newspaper, interviewed survivors and survivors and found that despite the grief and horror, many authors also reflected the pain of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. A common feature of her texts is the pursuit of understanding and the attempt to deal with the new reality that is shaped by violence.

Reflections by an author: Dror Mishani

In his book "Window without view", which Mishani refers to as a diary from Tel Aviv, he shows the inner struggle that accompanied him to Israel during his return flight. Instead of propagating revenge, he appeals to pause in an open letter. He asks not to fall into a spiral of destruction and hatred, but to heal the wounds and to think about how living together with the neighbors and even with enemies can be possible.

Mishani also observes social tensions in his family because different reactions begin to split into the conflict. While his daughter is caught in horror videos, his son withdraws into apolitical activities. However, Mishani never loses the human view of the other side and actively pursues the developments around the hostage frames. It is important to him to give people in Gaza a face and not to ignore their suffering.

ron leshem and the pain of political reality

ron Leshem, journalist and former intelligence officer, responds to the political grievances in his work “Feuer” with the same sadness and anger. He tells of failed warnings and the failure of the security authorities despite clear signals that indicated an impending danger. Leshem describes his bitterly about the distortions in the perception of the conflict, especially at universities in the United States, where anti -Semitism and the transfiguration of terrorists are widespread as a freedom fighter.

For Leshem it is unbearable how left and minority groups often do not focus on Hamas' cruelty. The book contains a detailed chronology of the crimes of October 7 and is an urgent appeal for a violent handling of the conflicts. Leshem warns of the suffocating climate of nationalist thinking and calls not to leave the struggle against such extreme currents to the radical minority.

memories of the victims: Lee Yaron

in "Israel, October 7" Lee Yaron documents the last hours of victims of the attack. It not only addresses the experiences of Jewish Israelis, but also illuminates the fate of marginalized groups, such as Nepalese workers and Bedouins in the Negev, which were also affected by the violence of the conflict. With urgent descriptions and the use of the last messages and telephone messages, it conveys the horror and uncertainty with which people were confronted with violence.

yaron's approach combines journalistic research with oral history in order to make the voices of those heard who can no longer speak a word. Their work makes it clear that terror not only affects the immediate victim, but also has an impact on society as a whole, whereby everyone affected has experienced human suffering in this storm.