MARCH 7 • 2024 | 9
J
N
a dagger to the bone. This
was followed by a visit to
the Gaza border where I
saw through the fence some
of the burned houses. It was
right near the Nova festival
site where there is a big
memorial for the murdered
victims: a huge sign by
the field where trees, each
with a photo of a hostage
attached, were planted.
My heart overflowed with
sadness and anger for the
horrific attack.
In Israel, viewing Israeli
TV and talking with people,
one sees scenes you don’t
see in the media here. Not a
single day goes by without
stories about families who
suffered the attack, who
have lost family members
or who have members that
are still held in Gaza as
hostages.
HEROIC STORIES
There is no day without
the heroic stories of those
who fended off some of the
attacks and there is no day
without seeing the IDF bat-
tling within Gaza.
Israelis see less of the
carnage and more of the
difficult urban environment
by which the solders have
to fight, street by street and
house by house.
This experience was
one of the most thought-
provoking and self-
actualizing experiences of
my life.
Israel’s future is very
hard to predict, and I
have no expertise or great
knowledge to share. It
is very easy to paint this
situation black and white
but, actually, the truth is
extremely complicated and
full of nuances and colors
and shades of gray.
A friend, who is a very
successful and smart lawyer,
says he sees that both
people — Palestinians and
Israelis — have their truths
and that a solution will
only come if we sit together
and accept that both of
these truths are valid. This
would be the beginning of
a constructive conversation
that can lead to peace.
I hope that in the end, if
not in my lifetime, then at
least for my children’s and
the generations to come,
there will be two countries
living side by side helping
each other prosper in a new
Middle East reality where
war is a thing of the past
and military presence is
simply a deterrent.
This is my wish for my
homeland: a country that
against all odds continues
to prosper, side by side
with neighbors who seek
to achieve peace and
prosperity as well.
Avishay Hayut, a native Israeli, is a
retired physical therapist who lives
in Ann Arbor and a contributor to
the book The Ones Who Remember:
Second Generation Voices of the
Holocaust published by City Point
Press, 2022. If you would like to
donate to Jack’s Inn, visit https://
givebutter.com/kiTHQ2
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