Shimon Peres

I heard the news of Shimon Peres’ stroke and illness, I didn’t think much of it. Maybe a passive refuah shlemah (prayer for healing) crossed my mind. He’s in his nineties and has lived a long and full life. I did not agree with the Oslo Accords, and can still remember the chilling morning in 1993 when, as a graduate student, I started my own subscription to The New York Times. I remember that moment of picking up the thwacked paper from outside my apartment door and seeing that by now iconic White House lawn photo, the “handshake.” I was horrified, and confused. Arafat? Peace Accords? The bloodbath of pain and loss that has continually followed only confirms my and so many others’ initial horror. […]