Shana Tova! Thank you for all of your support in 5786. Your generosity has allowed me to push out more content and even hire, yes, a real, human editor (you’ll see no AI slop on this Substack). To celebrate the new year, I’d like to offer 36% off paid subscriptions, now through the end of September. Paid subscribers get access to Notes From Tel Aviv, my weekly series of personal dispatches from Israel for the price of two shawarmas. I’m excited to see what we can do at the Middle Ground in 5787.
— Eli
At a dinner with friends on Monday night, over a plate of pasta at Taverna Romana in Tel Aviv, I was expecting to get a break from talking about elections, the conflict with the Palestinians, and the future of our country.
I was meeting two friends, both American. One of them—I’ll call him David—is being forced to leave Israel.