Drawing on years as a trauma therapist and frontline observer, *Israel Diaries* delivers incisive, no-nonsense analysis of Israeli society and geopolitics. Here you’ll find clear-eyed reporting that challenges prevailing narratives, exposing uncomfortable truths and exploring the human cost behind headlines. This newsletter is for readers who demand honesty over spin and depth over noise.

Why Subscribe?

Writing is a lonely business. When you subscribe, you're not just reading — you're encouraging me to keep going. It tells me there are people out there who care about what’s really happening in Israel, and who want honest, evolving analysis. I make no promises not to change my mind — learning, after all, is part of the work. You, the readers, are part of that evolution.

I’m a trauma therapist turned investigative journalist. The former gives depth to the latter. I dig into the issues shaping Israel and our region, interviewing local and regional minorities — Alawites, Druze, and others — as well as subject-matter experts. This dual lens often reveals stories and insights missing from mainstream coverage.

I don’t fit neatly into any political camp. I approach issues from multiple angles, driven by curiosity and a commitment to truth — not ideology.

About Me

I’ve had a long-standing love-hate relationship with Israel.

When I first came here for one month in the summer of 1970, I hated it — and vowed never to return. But love brought me back in 1972 for three months. During that time, I fell out of love with the man, and into love with Israel. I decided I’d make this land my home once I completed my studies, intending to arrive with a profession that would contribute to the country.

After earning a BSc from the University of Toronto, I completed an MSc in agriculture at the Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot. In a roundabout way, I later found myself pursuing a second master’s — this time in family therapy — and became an expert in the field of sexual trauma. I ran a clinic for many years until 2010, when I closed it and chose to fulfill a childhood dream: to become a journalist. The Israel Press Office issued me a press card, so I’d say I succeeded.

You might not be surprised to learn I was a member of Hashomer Hazair during my last two years of high school in Toronto. I joined for the folk dancing and social life — not the politics. When things got “serious” and ideological, I’d slip outside until the music lured me back in. Ironically, all my friends who made Aliyah have since returned to Canada. I, the one who had no intention of ever coming here, am still here. And I love this country.

Part of what brought me here in the first place was antisemitism. Growing up in the insular “Bathurst Manor Ghetto” in Toronto, I thought the world was safe. But when I ventured beyond that bubble, the hate I encountered — not for who I was, but for what I was — changed me. I realized the world often sees me as a Jew first, a human being second. That realization pushed me to explore what it really means to be Jewish — the religion, the culture, the people I’d once been so willing to abandon.

What I found was that we are a remarkable, ancient people with an indigenous homeland. And I wanted to be part of rebuilding it.

This newsletter is one way I express that love — for my land, for my people. I don’t return hate toward those who hate me. My motto is כַּבְּדֵהוּ וְחַשְׁדֵהוּ — Respect others, but be cautious with your trust.

I don’t hate. But I also don’t love those who want me dead. Hate takes too much energy, and I have more meaningful things to do with mine. You don’t need hate to fight someone trying to kill you — just clarity. Hate clouds your mind. And in Israel, we need every ounce of cognitive sharpness we’ve got to survive.