Hilla has nowhere to go

My friend Hilla has to leave the country this Sunday. She's the director of the National Anti-Violence Center dedicated to fighting violence against women in Israel. Hilla fights with Kenesset, gets laws changed, fundraises, counsels, and chain smokes. She's got a sick sense of humor -- she has to, her life is totally fucked up. Her husband is Egyptian. They have two brown eyed boys that are Israeli citizens. Egypt revoked her husband's passport because he married a Jew. Israel will only recognize her husband as someone who is Egyptian marrying an Israeli-Arab to get out of Egypt. Although Hilla is famous in Israel, she is well regarded and is definitely a Jew, Israel is ignoring this fact. Neither country will give her husband a home. On January 1 her husband's passport from Egypt is no longer valid. They have been offered citizenship in Canada, O' Canada. They know no one in Canada, but are moving to Vancouver because of the weather. They have no job waiting for them, no community, they are starting over completely.

The top photo is the Old City when the sun is setting. It's hard to see, but the Separation Wall is snaking its way through the left hand side of the second picture. I took these photos almost from the same place, so its as if the Seperation Wall (also called the Apartheid Wall or The Fence) was going to wind through the valley and kiss the Old City walls. The new wall is a flat grey concrete. The Old City walls depending on the time of day can either be gold or rose.