My mother arrived in Israel in 1948 and was already in advanced pregnancy. She gave birth to a boy upon arrival. When he was eight days old, she was told that he had died. This was in Ein Shemer. His name was Zion and he was born circumcised. There is a death certificate for him with no identification number. My mother used to cry all the time. “Moshe,” she used to say to my father, “he is not dead, he is alive.” She died giving birth to my sister. My father searched everywhere in Israel, in nurseries. He cried so much at the latest meeting. My brother-in-law is suffering to this day after being treated for ringworm and my husband died prematurely for the same reason. This is why I don’t sympathize with Holocaust victims. Why should I stand still during the Holocaust Remembrance Day sirens? They did the same thing to us. Every Ashkenazi Jew I’ve worked for keeps denying it to my face. They took two children from my uncle (Sleiman Yatim. His daughter’s name is Yona Avri). I’m a caregiver for the elderly and every second woman has such a story. They chained our hands and legs and they silenced us. The Messiah will not return until the children are back.

Anat Qaysi (Mualem)