In Loving Memory of Tally Kritzman-Amir (May 7, 1979 – May 14, 2022)
Under different circumstances, I would have asked my wise friend Tally for advice on how to be a good friend to someone who is dying.Since I began writing this blog,…
Looking for a School that Can Handle My Kids’ Identities
My children’s cousins in the Jabalia refugee camp are fasting for Ramadan. On the other side of our family, their cousins are doing Passover cleaning. When I moved in with…
Forat Discovers the Truth about the Tooth Fairy
I enjoyed cultivating the Tooth Fairy as a heroine. Forat deals with so many grown-up issues – I wanted her to retain some childhood magic. The truth about the Tooth…
Missing Ramallah, Managing Sibling Rivalry
"Ima, tell me a story about a lion that eats Adam," Forat asked me. She still feels betrayed that I gave birth to her competition. The birthday salad Forat sat…
I wrote a love story. Not yet in English.
This time I’m writing under my real name. To thank you and to let you know about my book, a love story about the occupation. Dear Readers, I want to…
Quiet in Raleigh. Less so in the Jabalia Refugee Camp.
Far from the violence, Osama worries about his family in Gaza while I clumsily try to create a holiday atmosphere. It’s our third war together. Smoking Break Raleigh, North Carolina,…
Vaccinations arrive in North Carolina. Credit: Umm Forat
When It Comes to Vaccinations, Gaza is Better than the West Bank
Our daughter is enjoying sugary American food, but for her father, North Carolina brings something sweeter: a COVID-19 vaccine he wouldn’t yet get in Palestine. Eating Animals “Ima, which animal…
Leaving Palestine
We waited for hours, the children and I on one side of the checkpoint, Osama on the other, hoping to make it to the airport. Cleaning the refrigerator “I knew…
Buying Hanukkah Candles in Ramallah
“I am a Jew married to a Palestinian,” I told the supermarket man, with a smile that I hoped was courteous, pluralistic and also conversation-ending. I picked up Forat and…
Trying to Leave the West Bank
I wrote another letter asking for the travel permit, because it was my turn to make a move in this sadistic game of occupation bureaucracy. Waiting “When are you traveling?”…