Dilek Sayedahmed

Make no mistake. Those who spearheaded the Gaza genocide will try to relaunch it in a more ruthless manner, at the earliest opportunity.
They will fail only if there will be an alternative vision, one of recognition, life and equality for everyone.

ברוך הטוב והמטיב

May this truly be beginning of a real ceasefire, and the beginning of permanent peace and *true justice* for everyone in the land.

May the memories of all those annihilated in the genocide, all those slaughtered, be for a revolution.

If Trump, who has put in zero effort and done it through hacks, can get here simply by yelling and being impatient, it's yet another reminder that Biden's steadfast support for the first 16 months of killing was a choice he made to disastrous consequences abroad and at home.

The only people whose opinion matters on this peace deal are the people of Gaza, many of whom are cautiously optimistic. It is hard to be genuinely hopeful as a Palestinian, but I pray that the ceasefire holds and that Israel does not renege on the agreement.

The withdrawal line is different now, allegedly up to 600 meters closer to the borders of Gaza, as part of minor concessions given to Hamas in negotiations. This means for the first phase (however long it lasts) Israeli forces will remain in approx 50% of Gaza. It will then be "phased withdrawal".

The Zionist consensus among US Jews has collapsed. Something new is emerging | Shaul Magid Two years after the 7 October massacre and the onset of Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, American Jewry has been profoundly transformed

“Hannah Arendt reminds us that ideological hegemony is never good for any collective; hegemony yields laziness and overconfidence and is ultimately self-destructive.”

www.theguardian.com/world/commen...

After the anticipated and hoped for prisoners/hostage exchange, there will remain in Israeli prisons thousands more Palestinians than there had been there on 6th October 2023.

Trying to Read the Barometer of Values of Our Society A quest for sensemaking in how we mourn public figures like Charlie Kirk and Dr. Jane Goodall

I am just a gal trying to read the barometer of values of our society.

Lately I can’t tell which makes me prouder—having a PhD, or having earned it back when ChatGPT didn’t exist. The more I read grad student papers and colleagues’ reports, the more I lean toward the latter.

I wrote those 400 pages on my own. Bob oh Bob, those were some precious days.

So the American taxpayer eats it twice, once on tariffs and again on a second farm bailout. I’m glad farmers are getting help, no one should lose their farm, but it’s remarkable how fast “socialism” stops being a dirty word when the checks clear in red counties.

The Zionist consensus among US Jews has collapsed. Something new is emerging | Shaul Magid Two years after the 7 October massacre and the onset of Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, American Jewry has been profoundly transformed

The Zionist consensus among US Jews has collapsed. Something new is emerging | Shaul Magid

$21.7 billion in US military aid has fueled Israel's war on Gaza A new report shows how American support has been essential to what many experts are now calling a genocide

⚠️ In the last two years, the United States has supplied $21.7 billion in military aid to Israel.

$21.7 BILLION.

responsiblestatecraft.org/us-aid-israe...

It’s boiling in October because you’re using ChatGPT to write your emails, Janice.

As Sharone Lifschitz—whose parents were taken that day, and only her mother returned — reminds us:

“We know that hate and revenge cannot bring even a momentary relief from the pain.”

Only love, memory, and the courage to imagine freedom for all can.

May you find, somehow, a measure of peace and grace amid the unbearable weight of memory.

And may the generations to come be gentler—more rooted in empathy, more invested in shared humanity and liberation.

October 7, 2023 was a moment that split time in two for many—before and after. I know I have never been the same since then.

My heart aches for the families and loved ones remembering today, for the empty rooms, for the silence that still carries their names.

Israel’s New U.S. Influence Campaigns Target TikTok, Churches, and ChatGPT In the wake of SKDK’s cancelled contract, three firms newly registered under FARA are executing influence operations in the U.S. for Israel.

NEW: Following the bot army backlash, Israel ramps up propaganda with 3 US firms: $6M Gen Z campaign by Brad Parscale, "Esther Project" that pays influencers, and a VR "10/7 Experience" deployed at churches. readsludge.com/2025/10/06/i...

Two years after 7 October and the kidnap of my parents, hate is in fashion. For all our sakes, we need compassion | Sharone Lifschitz So many were killed – yet on her release, my mother said ‘shalom’ to her captors. Let’s learn from that moment of grace, says Sharone Lifschitz, London-based film-maker and academic

Sharon Lifschitz, whose parents were kidnapped on Oct 7 and only her mother returned alive, writes on the two year anniversary to the massacres.
"We know that hate and revenge cannot bring even a momentary relief from the pain."

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I tend to forget realities aligned with this one often and end up disappointed very often. Good to keep it as a reminder.

Trying to Read the Barometer of Values of Our Society A quest for sensemaking in how we mourn public figures like Charlie Kirk and Dr. Jane Goodall

When we speak of a loss “for humanity,” we reach for something beyond individual grief: the fragile arc of knowledge, justice, and survival that binds us together. Entry into that realm is not automatic. It must be earned.

Whānau of three kiwi detained in Israel speak out in emotional address The whānau of the three New Zealand citizens, who were illegally taken by Israel, spoke to media this morning.

The whānau of the three New Zealand citizens, who were illegally taken by Israel, spoke to media this morning.

Another—I am not an outlier among Black women reviewers of this film :)

I hadn’t seen this review from @brookeobie.bsky.social until it was just dropped in the replies but I’m moving it up because I think it’s worth reading how someone who is a Black women critic is responding to this film

Perhaps most importantly, the Trump plan does nothing to advance Palestinian self-determination, which as @danaelkurd.bsky.social highlighted is strikingly absent from efforts to stop the war.

To the contrary, Trump's plan further institutionalizes the obstacles to self-determination.

(Gift link.)

Trying to Read the Barometer of Values of Our Society A quest for sensemaking in how we mourn public figures like Charlie Kirk and Dr. Jane Goodall

When we speak of a loss “for humanity,” we reach for something beyond individual grief: the fragile arc of knowledge, justice, and survival that binds us together. Entry into that realm is not automatic. It must be earned.

Welcome to my podcast. Thank you for listening. And find me always mentally in Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days.

Bon dimanche! ✌️

We’ve mastered optimization (thanks to school of economic thought <<mega side eye here>> but forgotten satisfaction. In chasing efficiency, we’ve lost intimacy & vulnerability—with others, with nature, with ourselves.

Vicious cycle entails: our economy rewards the hunger to have, not the freedom to stop wanting. True wealth is measured by sufficiency, not surplus.

A key inquiry entails: what is perfection?
The answer is: simplicity is perfection. Not more.

Prominent public figures, in (social) media, governance, leadership, or in the tech industry, most of whom are ultra-wealthy, flaunt abundance as aspiration, but what they really sell is restlessness—the art of never being content.

Profitable only for capital mindset tells us fulfillment is a purchase away. But the price of endless growth is spiritual depletion—a treadmill that speeds up as we tire. Exhibit A: status quo of our society.