Canto for David

10 poems about Israel and Palestine¹

Introduction #

“Whatever is hateful and distasteful to you, do not do to your fellow man. This is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary. Go learn. "

― Hillel the Elder, Talmud, Shabbath 31a (Judaism’s Golden Rule)

Ten poems to remind us to never let our souls become hostage to whatever is hateful in this world.²

This Canto is dedicated to all the Palestinian, Jewish and Israeli people that struggle for justice and that choose to never forget all victims of crimes against humanity and the common humanity in us all.³

Mantle is dedicated to Gideon Levy.

Korban is dedicated to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907 Poland – 1972 US). Exodus is dedicated to my friend Leor Tasman, who embodies the teaching that ‘a little light dispels a lot of darkness’ (מעט מן ‏האור דוחה הרבה מן החשך).

For the dispossessed, the suffering and the weak: remember that they need our voices of support now as ever they have.

This Canto aims to reminds us of the echoes and reflections that make up history – its cyclical nature where abused becomes abuser. Now a new tribe takes the historic place of the Jews as the undefended vilified other:

“Condemned as wandering Jews

to roam the world and meditate

upon their unforgivable sin

and the vengeance of victims. "

― Yahia Lababidi, Palestine Wail

No one can dehumanise another without losing something of their own soul. Good parents and leaders know this.

Sadly many of the leaders in Israel, the United States of America and Gaza are extremists, that see the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians as merely tools for their political ends (aka terrorists).

We have seen this story before and ultimately dehumanisation and destruction of a people ends up destroying the obvious victims and then the villains (and those that support them actively or in their passivity).

Peace to all those that seek it.