Taking a Risk
Hadassa Ben Ari Out of Her Comfort Zone: “I’m Terrified, Maybe I’ll Be Disappointed”
Author Hadassa Ben Ari announces ambitious bookstore tour despite anxiety, aiming to connect with readers and promote messages of hope and resilience ahead of October 7 anniversary.
Hadassa Ben Ari, author of “What Do You Know About Longing” and a popular content creator, has announced a bookstore tour that will bring her face-to-face with readers despite openly admitting she is deeply anxious about the move.
“I’m terrified of all this,” Ben Ari confessed in a personal post to her followers. “Maybe you won’t come. Maybe sellers will yawn while I speak. Maybe I’ll give up, or feel insulted, or be disappointed. But I have no choice but to try.”
Choosing Life Over Loss
Ben Ari explained that the motivation for the tour is tied to the difficult atmosphere ahead of the one-year mark since October 7.
“We cannot continue to read only about bereavement. We want to read about life and about how, even in life’s most complex situations, one chooses life.”
Her upcoming meetings will include visits to bookstores in Jerusalem and across the West Bank, where she plans not only to present her book but also to meet readers who have long interacted with her online.
“I want to meet those who write to me privately, who want to share their stories, ask questions, and connect,” she said.
Encouragement from Strangers
Shortly after sharing her post, Ben Ari described running into two different women on the same day. Both, she said, told her almost the same thing:
“I read your work and think I’d like to be your friend. Can I ask to be your friend?”
For Ben Ari, those small but powerful encounters became a sign she was making the right choice. “They strengthened my decision to go ahead with this journey,” she noted, adding that she sees the tour as more than a literary promotion, it is an opportunity to build community through storytelling.