I didn’t plan on writing a third guest piece on my Palestinian Arabic teacher, Safaa, her husband, Mustafa, who now works for Doctors Without Borders, and their 10-month-old daughter, Lana, all of whom “live” in Gaza City.

I didn’t think I could find any more words to express my sorrow, anger, rage and sense of shame at what Israel is doing to Gaza in the name of my people, the Jewish people. This war of annihilation upon the people of Gaza. But Safaa asked me to share an update on their story.

She made this request of me on Thursday, Sept. 11. My last words to Safaa that day were merely “just survive, please,” a plea. The last two text messages I received from her were sent the morning of Friday, Sept.12.

In both of those messages, the fear and terror in her voice were palpable, she no

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