Chaya Lester, at The Blogs

Mar 17, 2026, 2:55 AM

NPR’s Narrative Inversion: Media Framing Flips Victim and Perpetrator

NPR stands for something new: Narrative Perpetrator Reversal. Because this latest headline about the Michigan terrorist perfectly captures what has gone wrong with modern journalism. Nothing here is technically false. And yet the entire story is subtly turned upside down. If you slow down and look...

May 25, 2025, 11:48 PM

Not Only Victims

We are aching. A woman, on her way to bring a new child life into the world, murdered. Two Israeli embassy staffers in D.C., murdered. And across the globe, Jews are being shouted down, scapegoated, vilified. It’s not just frightening — it’s...

Apr 14, 2024, 5:41 PM

A Mother’s Timeline of Trembling

The Whatsapps started at 9:30pm School canceled - clients cancel the country shutters itself like it knows how to do Like a turtle shrinking into its shell. We cocoon… The air spaces in the region close… We distract ourselves with nervous jokes. At 11pm comes down...

Apr 4, 2024, 1:30 PM

Scared Sacred (As Israel Awaits Iran’s Response)

We have learned to live against this backdrop That the ground could simply drop Out from under Foot At any moment Gone for good. The sky could thunder The sun surrender. And yet we soldier forward We are vigilant As we fold the laundry And feed the children. Call in the reserves Again To defend The...

Mar 4, 2024, 12:48 PM

No more peace kites…

Oct 7th was the day of the ‘Kites for Peace Festival’ Held annually in Kfar Aza Just another initiative of the myriad they hosted To foster peace with their neighbors just 5 kilometers over the border. "They send us missiles for destruction…we will send them...

Jan 28, 2024, 3:25 PM

A War not of ‘Iron Swords’ but ‘Ironic Words’

Some days what’s hardest in this war is the Incommunicability of it all. There’s not an emoji for the emotion of ‘finally-returned-to-homeland-after-2000-years-fulfilled-prophecy-and-willing-to-die-for-it’. Is there? Or for the emotion of ‘under-genocidal-attack-from-all-sides-while-the-world-demonizes-you-for-self-defense’. How strange the cognitive dissonance of the world stage where we are blamed for genocide as we defend...

Dec 24, 2023, 12:20 PM

The Devil’s Arithmetic

We have this new detestable morning ritual Of waking up to body counts, over coffee. Of another 4, another 8, another infinitely inscrutable, incalculable Addition to our subtraction. And I don’t blame you if you didn’t weep over the latest losses I too know...

Dec 21, 2023, 7:38 PM

The World is Getting Gaza-lit

Hamas is GAZA-LIGHTING the world. Gaslighting is a highly toxic form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser sows self-doubt and confusion into their victim’s mind…often making the victim think they are the abuser. Gaza-lighting is the highly toxic form of...

Dec 10, 2023, 6:31 PM

Visualize Surrender

Today I am Visualizing Mass Surrender.... Call me naive. I'd agree. And yet what if the collective consciousness of Hamas could move towards surrender? I'm imagining thousands turning on their leaders and revealing the locations of the hostages. I imagine a Gazan man...

Dec 5, 2023, 12:41 PM

Time to dive….

Last night was another one of those waking at 3 a.m., from a nightmare, shaking in fear, nights. In this nightmare I was witnessing the attempted annihilation of our people….as I have in too many dreams since the inception...

About Me

Psychotherapist, inspirational speaker, wordsmith, performance artist & Co-Director of Jerusalem's Shalev Center. Chaya lives in the heart of Jerusalem with her husband R'Hillel & their 4 energetic children. Read more pieces like this in real-life book form: https://www.amazon.com/Lit-Poems-Ignite-Jewish-Holidays/dp/1623930219

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