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THE ATTACK ON ISRAEL
October 7th, 2023
BROKE ME
The SILENCE of my “Friends”
Devastated Me
The World’s Protests and Celebrations
Horrified Me
And So I Came Back
To Tell the Stories of Who They Were
and Who We Are
A 500-Minute Fast on Day 500; Prayers for Tal Shoham and Kibbutz Be'eri; Remembering Itay Svirsky on his 40th Birthday - Feb 17th, 2025
Out of 250 faces of strangers all over Tel Aviv, Itay's was the one that leaped off the page and straight into my heart.
Melanie Preston
Feb 179 min read
344 views
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Imagine Your First Shower in 470 Days.
It is difficult for me to contemplate what could be going through these women's minds as I write this at 7:23am in Charlotte, North...
Melanie Preston
Jan 195 min read
197 views
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A Wandering Jew, Talking to Strangers, Douglas Murray's Smoothie and Vivien Leigh
"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers," wrote Tennessee Williams for his classic play "A Streetcar Named Desire," for the...
Melanie Preston
Oct 25, 202413 min read
253 views
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Yonatan Rapoport - A Heroic Father Remembered - One Year Later
"Adam's brother Yoni has the most interesting story on the Kibbutz," I was told last week at lunch, in the dining hall at Kibbutz Be'eri....
Melanie Preston
Oct 6, 20249 min read
822 views
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Rising From the Ashes, the Light from Kibbutz Be'eri Leads its Residents Home
I fell in love with Israel because I fell in love with its people.
Melanie Preston
Sep 30, 20248 min read
464 views
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As War Reaches a New Phase, Israel's Heart Shines Brighter, with October 7th Survivors in the South Offering their Homes to the North's Residents
"Thank goodness I am here," has been my predominant thought since returning to Israel last Monday. This is despite losing my Israeli...
Melanie Preston
Sep 23, 20246 min read
56 views
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Be'eri Seder in Hostage Square, Hersh Hostage Video Release and the Twisting Tunnels of my Mind on this Passover Like no Other
We are bound in our love for each other and our rich past, entwined in our current struggles and standing as one in a vow for our future.
Melanie Preston
Apr 25, 20248 min read
763 views
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As Their Posters Fade, Our Resolve Does Not
Six months ago yesterday, 133 people woke up on a fairly normal Thursday. Some were up with the sun practicing yoga, while others made...
Melanie Preston
Apr 7, 20244 min read
656 views
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Shani Louk: A Legacy of Compassion, Love and Art
On February 7th, Shani Louk would have celebrated her 23rd birthday. Instead, her family and friends gathered at a reception for the...
Melanie Preston
Feb 14, 20246 min read
488 views
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How my Heart has Been Breaking Through this Project of Mine, into 136 Families' Worlds
It had seemed like such a good idea, after 37 days of tears by myself in Charlotte. The families of the hostages had been on every...
Melanie Preston
Jan 16, 202412 min read
864 views
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