Author Recalls Yom Kippur War Trauma Amidst Current Tensions

The author draws a parallel between the current period, leading up to the anniversary of the October 7th attacks, and the lead-up to the Yom Kippur War of 1973. She recounts a personal experience of overwhelming, inexplicable anxiety preceding the 1973 war, which began on Yom Kippur. This anxiety manifested as physical symptoms, despite medical reassurance. On the eve of Yom Kippur in 1973, she heard news that her father had been drafted, and later, sirens and an announcement from Prime Minister Golda Meir confirmed the outbreak of war. During the initial days of the war, she describes a loss of appetite and the communal act of eating a simple meal of hummus, chard, and onion, which offered a small measure of comfort amidst the chaos. Fifty years later, she notes the recurrence of similar feelings of disbelief and the question of how such events could have been unforeseen. The article then shifts to a recipe for a hummus and greens dish, a dish that was also prepared during the difficult days following October 7th, serving as a familiar, albeit not comforting, anchor in a surreal reality. The author also briefly mentions a new bakery in Migdal Ha'emek and a campaign for clearer labeling of meat origins to avoid live animal shipments.