A public spat erupted this week between right-wing activist Yehuda Glick and author-journalist Hadassah Ben Ari over her new book “What Do You Know About Longing,” which tells the stories of IDF widows.
The debate began when Glick posted online that his organization, “Amitsim,” rejected a pitch from Ben Ari’s publicist.
“There’s no chance this book would interest us,” he wrote, arguing that the project “goes against everything we believe in.”
Glick explained his objection by citing Jewish tradition:
“The Torah strictly forbids discriminating between widows and orphans.” He further criticized the book for focusing only on war widows, less than five percent of Israel’s widowed population. “As if the others don’t have longing, don’t have pain, as if they don’t exist,” he added.
Ben Ari hit back with a post of her own. While opening with respect for Glick and his work, she stood firm in her choice:
“I do not apologize for choosing to amplify the voices of the many new widows who sacrificed for all of us. My book speaks about love, not just about grief.”
