“I Do Not Apologize”: Hadassah Ben Ari Hits Back at Critics Over New Book

A public spat erupted this week between right-wing activist Yehuda Glick and author-journalist Hadassah Ben Ari over her new book “What Do You Know About Longing,” which tells the stories of IDF widows.

The debate began when Glick posted online that his organization, “Amitsim,” rejected a pitch from Ben Ari’s publicist.

“There’s no chance this book would interest us,” he wrote, arguing that the project “goes against everything we believe in.”

Glick explained his objection by citing Jewish tradition:

“The Torah strictly forbids discriminating between widows and orphans.” He further criticized the book for focusing only on war widows, less than five percent of Israel’s widowed population. “As if the others don’t have longing, don’t have pain, as if they don’t exist,” he added.

Ben Ari hit back with a post of her own. While opening with respect for Glick and his work, she stood firm in her choice:

“I do not apologize for choosing to amplify the voices of the many new widows who sacrificed for all of us. My book speaks about love, not just about grief.”

She stressed that her work resonates far beyond the circle of IDF widows:

“My inbox and phone are filled with messages from widows and widowers of every kind. Single women wrote to me. Divorced men and women too. Everyone longs. Everyone wants to love. Everyone receives a hug from me.”

Ben Ari also corrected two points. First, she clarified that her publicist, Renana Glick, independently contacted Yehuda Glick’s organization, not at her request. Second, she noted that in the past it was Glick who approached her, not the other way around.

She concluded with a call for empathy:

“Do a little for others, it can change the face of Israeli society.”