Nathan Lyons, at The Blogs

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Sep 4, 2024, 10:52 PM

The night after they find the six dead hostages, I, along with several thousand others, board the Light Rail. At each stop the carriage grows more dense, little groups mutter the same question, studying the rail map: ‘Where do we...

Aug 2, 2024, 8:00 PM

England, My England

‘Where else can you sit out in the sunshine, in a kippa, in England?’ He’s doing just that, a small black kippa atop this serene, grey-bearded businessman. ‘I grew up in the provinces. Remember coming here as a kid, seeing so...

Jul 26, 2024, 1:38 PM

AI generated image

The Chosid calls out to me on the street and asks my name. “Natan.” “Nosun!” The Yiddish version. Sure, why not. I smile and linger. Is he one of the guys who blares techno music from a decrepit mitzvah van? Does he solicit...

Jul 14, 2024, 3:35 PM

Better To A House Of Mourning

Girl with too much make up stands by the roadside. Too much - because it’s thirty-two degrees and that war paint looks fresh. A few blocks from the beach, an hour before sundown. Her mascaraed eyes gaze nowhere in particular, bambi...

Jul 3, 2024, 5:41 PM

My phone sits snugly in its cradle on the dashboard. I’m poking around on it, stuck in city traffic when the policewoman waves me down. ‘You were on your phone!’ ‘I was checking the navigation.’ ‘Don’t lie to me.’ ‘I wasn’t holding it,...

Jun 14, 2024, 8:39 AM

There’s no pill for this

He’s pacing, eyes darting, fingers playing tiny imaginary pianos. He’s military age. Heaven only knows where he’s been

Apr 11, 2024, 11:51 AM

How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love The Ayatolla

Oat milk or goat milk? That is the question. Yoghurt with sliced banana, or is today more an avocado toast day? If yes to yoghurt, do I add granola? A teaspoon of honey? It’s hard for me to make decisions. Thankfully, current...

Feb 19, 2024, 3:09 AM

So I flew to California, hoping it would help. Downtown San Diego, another dull clean American street and so far nothing. People don’t really walk here, not this part of town, between CVS, Starbucks and UPS. Soon enough, half-hidden under a...

Nov 26, 2023, 1:02 PM

View of the "Hostage Square" in Tel Aviv, November 23, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

You shouldn’t watch graphic GoPro videos, your brain thinks it’s really happening. But it’s too late. I’ve seen them all.

Nov 6, 2023, 12:19 PM

We drive to Larnaca, to the beach. For what Israelis call ‘Beten-Gav’- ‘Belly-Back’, a day bronzing in the sunshine. We park ourselves on loungers by Cafe Nero, the familiar purple awning adding a touch of Britain into this lush Mediterranean...

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About Me

Fascinated by the chaos and glory of life in Israel