Mylene GREENSTEiN

10/10/2026

October The 7th

Waking up with the sun as usual, a beautiful day of festival, a final day of holiday, a bright and cheerful late-season day awaits us! The sky is a pure blue, and cafés are getting ready to welcome their first morning customers; the rush hasn't started yet—young people like to take their time, and Florentin observes Shabbat in its own way: a day unlike the others, a day when rest is sacred.
This Saturday is also Simchat Torah, the final festival of the month of Tishri. The most observant will head to the synagogue.
In the streets, there will be small processions of people dancing, carrying Torah scrolls in their arms. Tonight, the sukkot, the festive shacks, will be dismantled and stored away until next year.
On Sunday, the children will head back to school, and the academic year can truly begin.
But suddenly, like a howl from the heavens, a powerful, insistent siren, a sound familiar to everyone here, orders us to go to the shelters as quickly as possible. With mixed feelings, a blend of disbelief, anxiety, and annoyance, people gather and comply, making their way to the safe room.
Everyone knows where it is, except for those who have just moved in—though the neighbours will soon advise them.
In this modern building, which consists of small apartments, there are no private safe rooms; instead, there are two communal safe rooms on each floor.
These rooms have seen regular use in recent years during periods of escalating tension by the border, marked by attacks from Gaza followed by Israeli counter-attacks, and then further exchanges of fire until the depletion of supplies or forces, or some other political reason.
Southern cities are frequently subject to alerts, and retaliatory military operations, bearing evocative yet unpoetic names like "Pillar of Defense," "Cast Lead," "Protective Edge," "Shield and Arrow," and "Guardian of the Walls"—are intended to deter the enemy but, above all, to reassure an Israeli population that has been forced to take cover regularly since 2008.
However, with the increased range of rockets from Gaza, residents of border towns are no longer the only ones forced to seek shelter; Tel Aviv has now become an accessible and coveted target.
At this moment, the true nature of events remains unclear—is a new war beginning, or is this merely a minor incident? Yet, the mood shifts instantly from light-heartedness and joy to a state of alert, anxiousness, and caution.
As soon as the alert ends, televisions are switched on in the apartments, and news alerts on mobile phones begin broadcasting a barrage of images of an incursion of terrorists, unrepelled by the army, having crossed the border into Israeli territory. A second alert follows the first; rockets aimed at Tel Aviv are intercepted by the Iron Dome—boom, boom, boom... one must wait ten minutes before leaving the safe room. Mobile phones continue to relay vague yet deeply alarming new reports: terrorists in large numbers, hundreds of them—are reportedly inside Israel on motorcycles, driving along the roads and have entered villages, while others have attacked a rave party taking place in the area...
The rhythm of the day comes to a standstill, as does the very breath of the land; anxiety rises and takes hold...
A morbid calm replaces the peace of a day meant for happiness and life. The blue sky is shrouded in a veil of grey, then black... and as the hours tick by, that grey veil reveals a massacre unfolding almost before our eyes.
The news, arriving in waves, will cover our incredulous souls with a sense of horror and boundless suffering. The merciless bloodshed and the cruelty unleashed upon our people by enemies acting like savage beasts transform our generation, hitherto spared, into witnesses of human barbarity, and our free and independent people into victims of pogroms, just like our ancestors before us in Russia, in Ukraine, and in Poland; this time, it is happening right here, in the very homeland established seventy-five years ago to protect Jews from antisemitism and hatred...
As the day unfolds, increasing darkness shrouds the world, our world, and the more the spilt blood is laid bare before our eyes, the more the horror emerges as a new reality that obliterates everything else, leaving us without a voice, strength or courage, stunned, horrified, dumbfounded, and forever changed!

The initial accounts go beyond what our imagination as a people whose DNA has borne the memory of the pogroms and genocide we have endured —can even conceive! The be******ty of the crimes committed—the murder of pregnant women, children, babies, fathers, and the elderly in front of their families; the rapes, the brutality, families burnt alive - nothing that the barbarism of deranged, fanatical, and criminal minds can spawn, was spared to these members of our family, of our people, on the 7th of October.
Then comes the news that these crimes are not the only calamity to have befallen the country; numerous hostages—men, women, children, and babies—have reportedly been taken to Gaza and are being held by Hamas.
A video of a young girl being paraded through the streets of Gaza by terrorists, covered in blood, along with footage showing the violent manner in which these hostages were seized, is posted on social media, war trophies for an army of savage beasts!
The victims include peace-loving citizens, peace activists, as well as carefree young people who loved life and peace...
Inside the building, most residents are cowering in their homes, devastated and in a state of shock.
October the 7th will remain forever etched in our memories as the day 1,200 of our own were savagely massacred and 239 hostages abducted—the day the desire for peace died. It was as if children lost their childlike souls and innocence in a single night; October the 7th will remain the day Israelis suddenly, cruelly, came of age.
From that moment on, there would be days and nights of fire, blood and tears …

An extract of An encounter of Exiles -
Translation of La Réunion des Exilés -published in French in jun 2024-
Translation Elana Gal-Edd and Sylvia Rozen
Soon will be published .

22/09/2026

YOM KIPPUR

This exceptional day, dramatic in more ways In the building, the street, and the entire city, a calm settles in, the shops pull down their shutters. Transport slows down, but bicycle shops stay open until the very last moment, reaping their biggest profits of the year. With traffic banned in the city, cyclists take advantage of this unique playground.
For believers, it is a day of judgment, a time for the possibility of receiving God’s mercy, a time to forgive and to seek forgiveness from those whom one has offended. Easy said, but this requires genuine introspection.
For Israelis of a certain age, it evokes the terrible memory of the deadly war that caught them off guard, mid-rest or mid-prayer, the memory of that historic day, the memory of their friends, their loved ones, their neighbours who never returned, or who were left wounded and maimed. The Yom Kippur War inflicted a trauma on Israel, which, for the first time since its inception, feared for its very survival. In the war's aftermath, an exemplary commission, the Agranat Commission, was tasked with investigating the events to shed light on errors and assign responsibility.
Leaders, political and security, the army, having ignored warning signals and caused the deaths of so many young people, were singled out and accused of negligence and overconfidence, and the nation harboured a deep resentment and retained a bitter memory of that period, a profound trauma, yet also a sense of having learnt the lesson.
The observance of this day of solemn reflection, that is striking, unites vast numbers of Jews around the world, draped in talliths, prayer shawls, or flags. This reverence manifests itself in calm that pervades all and that replaces the usual noise and frenzy. Owing to this silence, one can hear the sounds of nature, the sounds of life, and the breathing of living beings. For visitors and families alike, it is an exceptional day; the streets are free of all motorised traffic.
Children dash out to conquer them, novices and seasoned riders alike, giving the city the air of a playground; the childish joy, a symbol of life and hope, contrasts with the solemnity of the occasion.
It will be a long day for the believers, for those who are fasting. For children, however, it will pass quickly; observant parents will be otherwise occupied, while the others will be more lenient than usual.
Today, the city, the country, belong to the children.
Around 3 p.m., Dvora walks through the streets, now taken over by cheerful children and adults who seem somewhat dazed. It is still hot, but the walk is pleasant; there is a breeze, and one can walk right in the middle of the road.
She will not wait for Neilah. This is the final prayer of Yom Kippur, drawing so many non-religious Jews who come at the end of the day to hear the shofar—the shofar that heralds the judgment, though the verdict remains unknown: who will live, who will die, and what our fate will hold.
This stirring call from the depths of the ages, this mystical exhortation delivered by the officiant, who summons his final reserves of strength from the depths of his soul and every last breath from his lungs to produce that powerful, vibrant blast, joins the distant past and the present. The emotion it evokes is so profound that there are many who visit the synagogue just once a year, sometimes solely to hear it, the sound of the shofar unites generations, just as it has for two thousand years.
Afterward, the first glasses of water are passed around, along with the dry biscuits for breaking the fast. Then, the most observant will finish their prayers, while others go to set the table for the festive meal.
Tomorrow, the booths will be erected for Sukkot—a religious festival deeply rooted in the agricultural calendar and an occasion to celebrate the first rains.

Extract of my book An encounter of exiles
Published in jun24 in French by Librinova, on sale on line and through French libraries like :
Liriko.com ,Fnac.fr,Librinova.com✅
On its way to a British version to be published this autumn 🙏

Achat en ligne sur Fnac.com : Produits culturels, techniques et électroménager. Retrait gratuit en magasin en 1 heure: DVD, jeux vidéo et jouets enfants, cd , musique, livres, ordinateurs, portables, appareils photo, enceintes connectées et bien plus encore !

21/09/2026

04/08/2026

SUMMER
Winter is short, and spring and autumn even more so; summer is the season that dominates the region, and the sun is its lord.
Anyone wishing to escape it must live in seclusion.
Summer has descended upon the city with a vengeance; the sun no longer merely warms, it scorches, and the air is a hot blast, fans and air conditioners are worked to the limit—even to excess, for people like to live the American lifestyle: homes, offices, shops, and public transport must be kept cool at all times.
One moves from one air-conditioner to another. Insidiously, one gets used to it, and the body becomes less and less tolerant of the heat outside.
On Aliyah Street, the temperature climbs; dogs pant with tongues hanging out, and their owners do not hang about...
It is the start of the summer holiday exodus; the Israelis head north or abroad—anywhere, really, provided the weather is cooler there! Tourists, meanwhile—deprived of sunshine in their home countries—flock to the beaches.
Suitcases on wheels can be seen rolling through the building’s lobby; it is a constant coming and going of holiday-makers, their skin tone alone revealing the direction of travels.
Ilan is going to swap his caretaker’s hat for that of hotel concierge.
Children of working parents are heading off to camp in the Golan Heights, where it can even get a bit chilly in the evening.

























On Fridays on the beaches of south Tel Aviv, locals mingle with holiday-makers; You’ll find Jewish, Arab, and Christian families, each dressed according to their respective tradition, hanging out side by side in peaceful coexistence.
You might see women bathing fully clothed; there are hijabs, bikinis, and thongs! The children, however, all look alike.
Some cover themselves up while others uncover; all are happy, content in this moment of wellbeing, taking a pause and cooling off in the welcoming sea—enjoying the luxury of momentarily forgetting the burden of their tired bodies, or the freedom to simply be oneself in communion with what nature generously offers to all, without discrimination.
Perched in his tower, the lifeguard keeps watch over the safety, keeping an eye on strong swimmers venturing far out, as well as weaker swimmers and those just taking a dip in the shallow water. To do this, he has to communicate in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, English, and sometimes even French. His repeated calls and orders leave holiday-makers little chance to truly relax—much like the loudspeakers that come blasting music, usually with an Oriental flair, at maximum volume; it’s a veritable decibel contest!
Whole families arrive for a picnic, laden with their packs of provisions and huge coolers.
The beach in Tel Aviv, it’s no St. Tropez! The southern stretch—from Banana Beach to Jaffa—is more reminiscent of Juan-les-Pins, with its friendly, boisterous Tunisian Jews, or Antibes, with its Italian families who are just as jolly and fond of good food!
It’s the same mothers, it’s the same sea—the Mediterranean. It throws its blue waters at our feet, and the silvery ripples adorning its surface resemble stars and are the same in Tel Aviv as on the French Riviera.
Edna has come to the beach with her daughter today, usually she’ll prefers to stay in her air-conditioned flat, gazing at the sea or the mountains through her TV screen!
Not that long ago, she used to trot about, now she places one foot carefully in front of the other and her imagination allows her to travel back through her memories to the lands bathed by the Mediterranean—places where she once settled for a while in North Africa, in France, in Israel!
The sailing boats on the horizon are so white and the sky so blue that she feels like singing; and so she reminisces… 

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/lichvod-hakitz-honor-summer.html

20/12/2025