"A Case of Mistaken Identity" - Short Story

Key to the defense was locating the tall, gaunt man sporting a maroon Basque-style beret who had allegedly been in the convenience store at the time of the robbery. That man was said to have witnessed the three teenagers hassling the cashier just after ten pm, forcing him to hand over the few bills in the register, threatening to return and cause havoc to the place if he called the police, before escaping down the windswept street.

If the tall man could be located, he could identify the teenagers, who hadn’t bothered to wear masks or disguise themselves and should therefore be easy to identify. The cashier couldn’t give the police any clues as to where they had come from, and where they were going, their pockets full of his evening’s hard-earned revenues.

But the man with the beret had seen everything. At least, according to Philip, who had been loitering outside when the teenagers robbed the store.

Philip, who planned to purchase a pack of cigarettes, claimed the man had been standing at the back when the teenagers rushed in. The man came down the aisle but did nothing to stop the teenagers or protect the cashier, Philip said. The cashier had raised his hands in defense even before the youths announced their intention to rob the establishment. But, as Philip tried to explain, the tall man could certainly pick out the boys in a lineup.

That’s what Philip told the police officers who arrived at the scene twenty minutes later, but they didn’t believe him.

Read the rest of the story on Written Tales Magazine.

We’re Tired

If you are asking how we’re doing during this challenging time, that’s the short answer.

Here’s the long answer.

We’re tired of being woken up by the blaring wail of sirens at midnight, or at three in the morning, or at both hours.

We’re tired of running to our reinforced saferooms and our public shelters, sitting on the floor uncomfortably as we all stare at our mobile phones for the latest information about where the missiles struck.

We’re tired of hearing the boom of ballistic missiles overhead as they are blown up by our anti-ballistic rockets.

We’re tired of returning to our beds, unable to fall back asleep as we fearfully await the next missile attack.

We’re tired of turning on the television news to scenes of the night’s destructive toll – people injured and killed, buildings bombed, cars burnt, craters and piles of debris everywhere, homes lost, lives interrupted.

We’re tired of being unable to go to work, unable to send our children to school and to kindergarten, unable to go shopping even for the most essential things without worrying whether the next missile attack will catch us somewhere where there is no nearby shelter.

We’re tired of seeing our airport closed and international airlines canceling all their flights to Israel.

We’re tired of canceling our weekend plans and our summer vacations.

We’re tired of watching the bombing of Iran, even if it means we’re taking out their nuclear sites and military facilities, because we know it will result in further missile strikes against us.

We’re tired of the world dismissing our need to confront an Evil that seeks to destroy us while it lies blatantly about enriching uranium for peaceful research.

We’re tired of hearing that America bombed Iran because this is Israel’s war, when it is the war of the entire civilized world against this Evil.

We’re tired of seeing Iranian citizens fleeing Tehran, unable to overturn their theocratic repressive regime.

We’re tired of all this, and more.

We’re tired that we still have 50 hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, and whose freedom is not a priority of our government.

We’re tired that our prime minister refuses to take responsibility for what happened on October 7, 2023, in the greatest tragedy to befall the Jewish People since the Holocaust.

We’re tired that our soldiers are fighting every day in Gaza, and we’re tired of seeing their young faces on the news, the latest casualties of a seemingly endless war.

We’re tired of the entire world shouting cries of ‘genocide’ as we do our best to avoid civilian casualties.

We’re tired of fighting terrorists who dig tunnels under hospitals, hide their weapons in schools, take cover behind civilians and steal the aid provided by humanitarian organizations.

We’re tired of how Gazans are suffering.

We’re tired of our inability to throw out our corrupt, right-wing, extremist government.

We’re tired of the government giving limitless funding to the ultra-Orthodox and letting their young men avoid compulsory army service.

We’re tired of our right-wing government moving endlessly to curb media freedom and overturn our judicial system.

We’re tired of our government allowing the establishment of more and more settlements across the West Bank.

We’re tired of what we’re doing to the Palestinians.

We’re tired of regarding our Arab citizens as second-class.

We’re tired that the most corrupt prime minister we’ve ever had is about to get credit for finally confronting the Iranian nuclear threat.

We’re tired that the most corrupt prime minister we’ve ever had is allowing extremists to do anything they want, just so he can remain in power.

We’re tired that the most corrupt prime minister we’ve ever had is prolonging the trial that is meant to hold him accountable for his corruption.

We’re tired of inflation, of the lack of affordable housing, of the traffic jams on the highways, and the crowded national parks.

We’re tired of all this, and more.

Yet, despite being tired, we love Israel. We love its religious importance, its amazing history, and its colorful traditions. We love its high-tech, its stunning nature, its beaches, and its nightlife. We love its youth and its hope and promise for the future.

We’re tired, but we will continue to fight for our country because this is home.

Originally posted on The Times of Israel.

"Jerusalem Marathon" posted by JUDITH MAGAZINE

They gathered near the Knesset. High school girls in modest skirts, color-matched with running tights, yeshiva students sporting brand-name running shoes. Soldiers in uniform and start-up employees before the start of their workday. Individuals, friends, youngsters, and athletic adults, the experienced and those here for the first time, everyone wearing the same lime green dry-wear shirt. All waited for the announcement that would kick off the race.

The sky was blue and promising, the early morning air crisp and refreshing. A perfect day for the Jerusalem Marathon. The main event, 42.2 kilometers long, would take the runners through downtown Jerusalem and north all the way to Mt. Scopus. The race circuit snaked through the Old City’s Jaffa Gate and along the narrow alleyways of the Armenian Quarter. Out Zion Gate, around Mt. Zion, up a steep hill to the old train station, and through the German Colony. South to the Arnona neighborhood, back towards the city center, and down the home stretch to the finish line at Sacher Park.

Read the rest of the story on JUDITH MAGAZINE.

Israel at War with Iran

Israel lives in a hostile neighborhood and we do what we need to do to protect ourselves. I am not a supporter of our government, but let's put politics aside for the moment. And yes we want the war in Gaza to end immediately and all the hostages to come home, but right now we are focused on this.

Iran's nuclear program and its growing arsenal of ballistic missiles is an existential threat. It has lied to the world about uranium enrichment and whether it's conducting tests on nuclear weaponry. It has openly stated that it seeks Israel's destruction. Iran is the enemy not only of Israel, but of the United States as well.

We are under attack. Drones with explosives are heading our way at this very moment, and we can expect missiles to follow. We could not let this situation continue. We will protect ourselves even if we are doing this on our own.

Thank you to everyone who supports us in this mission - because you are supporting our very existence. We are strong, we will make it through this, but your continued support will help us through this difficult time.

Photo by Aaron Ovadia on Unsplash

"Last Will and Testament" - short story

We are writing to you on behalf of our client, the Estate of Kevin Gladstone, who passed away on March 2, 2023. Please accept our condolences during this difficult time.

 A smile crossed Martin Gladstone’s face. The day had come. Kevin Gladstone, his uncle. The man was filthy rich. Or rather, had been filthy rich. No condolences were necessary. For Martin, this mail was the bearer of excellent news.

 A meeting with a probate lawyer acting on behalf of the estate has been scheduled in our offices. Your presence is requested as you may be named as a beneficiary or have a legitimate interest in the estate.

 

The estate. The family estate. Martin knew all about estates.

The letter was just a formality. He was familiar with its contents, knew what it would say in advance. He had been waiting for this moment. The Gladstone inheritance would soon be his.

Read the rest of the story at New English Review.

Review of ‘Autocorrect’ by Etgar Keret

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could fix everything that goes wrong in our life? In the title story of ‘Autocorrect’, Etgar Keret’s new collection, Yuvi wakes up on what he hopes will be an ‘extra special day’ - if the Chinese sign a deal with the company where he’s the CEO. His doorbell rings and it’s his father, hoping to travel together to their office. Yuvi says, “I’ll see you there,” but his father never makes it to the office. He is killed in a horrific traffic accident.

Yuvi’s alarm goes off and he wakes to find his father standing outside his door, offering to drive him to the office. In this Groundhog Day scenario, Yuvi has a chance to reverse the bad outcome of the previous day’s tragedy. But will his fortunes be better this time around?

‘Autocorrect’ is one of the 33 short, short stories in Autocorrect by Etgar Keret, translated by Jessica Cohen and Sondra Silverston (Riverhead Books, May 27, 2025). Readers familiar with Keret will be entertained by more examples of his creative imagination, while those meeting him for the first time will encounter his original humorous insights into Israeli culture and modern life, with a touch of science fiction thrown in for good measure.

Time travel, aliens, and alternative realities all make appearances in the stories, while others mirror our lives, showing imaginative reflections of Israel and Israelis. Each of the stories satisfies in its own unique way.

I had previously read many of the book’s stories in the original Hebrew, but translators Cohen and Silverston do an excellent job of showcasing Keret’s humor for English readers. No matter what the language, his stories leave one eager to start the next one. Here are brief descriptions of some of my favorites.

‘A World without Selfie Sticks’ - a life-changing reality show from another world.

'Point of No Return' - the thin line between real life and simulated real life.

'Genesis, Chapter 0' - beyond pain, and boredom, and fear, everything becomes light.

‘For the Woman Who Has Everything’ - for the reader who has read everything, something different.

The stories of Autocorrect are extremely short, but they’ll leave you wanting more. We’re sure to meet the boundless creativity and humor of Etgar Keret again very soon.

Etgar Keret was born in Tel Aviv in 1967. His books have been translated into 37 languages, and he has been published in the New York Times, the Guardian, the New Yorker, Le Monde and other periodicals. Keret has written a number of screenplays; “Jellyfish”, his first film as director alongside his wife Shira Geffen, won the Caméra d’Or prize for best first feature at Cannes in 2007. Keret has received the Chevalier Medallion of France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2010); the Charles Bronfman Prize (2016); and the Sapir Prize for Literature (2018). His short story collection Fly Away won the 2019 National Jewish Book Award for Fiction.

Jessica Cohen is a British-Israeli-American literary translator who shared the 2017 International Booker Prize with author David Grossman for her translation of A Horse Walks into a Bar.

Sondra Silverston is a native New Yorker who has lived in Israel since 1970. She has trans­lat­ed works of Etgar Keret, Ayelet Gun­dar-Goshen, Zeruya Shalev, and Savy­on Liebrecht. Her trans­la­tion of Amos Oz’s Between Friends won the 2013 Nation­al Jew­ish Book Award for fic­tion.

Originally posted on The Times of Israel.

"I was enchanted by the stories"

Rakiya - Stories of Bulgaria by Ellis Shuman is a collection of cultural short stories set in Bulgaria. In these short stories we follow such characters as pickpocketing Roma, a WWII veteran, refugees, authors, makers of rakiya, and hunters - all while learning about the rich history of the area.

As someone who knows little about the Bulgarian culture or the history, I was enchanted by the stories. I was also intrigued by the foods, drinks, mountains, and churches. By the time I was finished with the collection, I wondered if a trip to Bulgaria might be in order!

As an author, I was fascinated with how the author weaved these tales into a cohesive whole - and loved how a character from one story would inevitably end up in another. Despite being a series of short stories, it reads far more like a novel, with Bulgaria as the main character. It's a great read.

Review by Teri M. Brown

Sips and Stories: A Journey Through Bulgaria’s Rich Culture

If you've ever been curious about lesser-known corners of the world, this episode of the Online for Authors podcast is your perfect invitation. In an engaging and insightful interview, author Ellis Shuman takes listeners on a journey through his collection of short stories, Rakiya: Stories of Bulgaria—and into the soul of a country often overlooked on the traveler's map.

The full article and the podcast episode are on the Online for Authors website.