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.
Be-hatzi Ha-layla
In the middle of the night
God struck down
All the firstborn
In the land of Egypt.
In the hours before,
We, the parents,
Painted our doorposts with blood.
We sent our children’s friends home.
We made sure we had water.
We found the food we would need
For the long wait.
And as we sat in the dark,
Doors and windows shut tight,
Wide awake,
We listened to the wails
As they rose and fell.
We bristled and clenched with every noise.
And the promise of the doorposts
Rang in our ears.
We stood helpless
While the teen
Vomited over and over,
Anxiety wracking her entire body,
And quietly cleaned the sink
When she was done.
We extended time limits
On cellphones
So that they could focus on TV shows
And not the booms that shook the building
And the keening sounds outside.
And we reminded ourselves
Of ancient promises
And doorposts
And midnight miracles.
And when the danger had passed,
And they finally slept,
Crowded onto mattresses
In the tiny room,
Surrounded by bottled water,
And toilet paper,
And Oreo cookies,
We sat awake.
Because even when you’re promised
Protection
And peace,
You sit awake
And watch your children sleep.
The views and opinions expressed above are those of the author, based on their observations and experiences.
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Deena Glickman is an editor and translator based in Jerusalem
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