The Israeli Female Settlers Who Pack Heat — And Say Shooting Is ‘Like Yoga’

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By Daniel J. Solomon September 28, 2017

A new Israeli Web series profiles West Bank settler women who carry guns as part of their daily routines, in a look that gets up-close and personal on the widely observed trend of armed settlers.

Produced by Israel’s public broadcaster, the Hebrew language series named “Hamushot” (or in English, “Armed”) trails three women as they go about their day – and has faced criticism from those who fear it glamorizes settler violence.

“It frees me, it quiets the mind, to focus on something. … In yoga class you work a lot on breathing. Just as with shooting,” Chen Verker, one of the women, says in the documentary, directed by left-wing filmmaker Ayelet Bechar.

The documentary faced a harsh reception from Haaretz columnist Rogel Alpher. “This series is nauseating. It presents these despicable fascists as courageous pioneers and glorifies them as role model,” wrote Alpher.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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