Who’s Afraid of Jerusalem?
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Who’s afraid of Jerusalem?
Who loathes and despises her?
Who execrates her, heart and tongue?
Who says, What am I doing in this city of black hats
And maniacs
This city of blood and enmity
Where Hillel the Elder pursues peace
Amid the broken cups and carnage?
Who hates Jerusalem
For the love wherewith he loved her once in secret
Courtyard shadows of the vine
Twilight, jasmine blue?
How cruel is the hatred of Jerusalem
A very flame
Many waters cannot quench it.
After the terrorist attack at Café Hillel in September 2003
From “And So Said Jerusalem, Poems and Hymns” (Devarim/Carmel, Jerusalem 2009).
Translation from the Hebrew by Betsy Rosenberg (sponsored by the “Museum On The seam,” Jerusalem).
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
