Pop Culture Junkie. Broadway Baby. Music Nerd. Classic Hollywood History Buff. Old Soul NYer w/ Cali Spirit. Yankee baseball. Traveling is the spice of my life.
Dear Members of the @PulitzerPrizes board,
My name is Emily Damari. I was held hostage in Gaza for over 500 days.
On the morning of October 7, I was at home in my small studio apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza when Hamas terrorists burst in, shot me and dragged me across the border into Gaza. I was one of 251 men, women, children, and elderly people kidnapped that day from their beds, their homes, and a music festival.
For almost 500 days I lived in terror. I was starved, abused, and treated like I was less than human. I watched friends suffer. I watched hope dim. And even now, after returning home, I carry that darkness with me - because my best friends, Gali and Ziv Berman are still being held in the Hamas terror tunnels.
So imagine my shock and pain when I saw that you awarded a Pulitzer Prize to Mosab Abu Toha.
This is a man who, in January, questioned the very fact of my captivity. He posted about me on Facebook and asked, “How on earth is this girl called a hostage?” He has denied the murder of the Bibas family. He has questioned whether Agam Berger was truly a hostage. These are not word games - they are outright denials of documented atrocities.
You claim to honor journalism that upholds truth, democracy, and human dignity. And yet you have chosen to elevate a voice that denies truth, erases victims, and desecrates the memory of the murdered.
Do you not see what this means? Mosab Abu Toha is not a courageous writer. He is the modern-day equivalent of a Holocaust denier. And by honoring him, you have joined him in the shadows of denial.
This is not a question of politics. This is a question of humanity. And today, you have failed it.
Good luck to everyone participating in the Tonys race this year. A nomination is great, and a lack of a nomination doesn’t negate the hard work you put in and the enjoyment you get from your job. If you get to live the dream, you’re luckier than a lot of others.
May is Jewish American Heritage Month! Join us as we recognize and honor the contributions of Jewish Americans to our communities and our world. #JewishAmericanHeritageMonth 💛💚
Singer Bobby Darin rose to fame with hits like "Splish Splash" and "Mack the Knife," but his life changed at 32 when he uncovered a family secret. Mo Rocca talks with Darin’s son, Dodd, who says his dad “was never the same.” https://t.co/0bkv6KbiQh
.@genspacela is redefining what a senior center can be—full of light, energy and purpose. With affordable $10 monthly memberships, flexible flooring and packed classes, it’s a vibrant space designed to keep older adults active and connected.
The visionary behind it all? Wallis Annenberg, who says it’s an idea she’d dreamed about for years.
I don't think I've ever had as much fun writing anything.
My piece, for @TheFP, on what we learn from Hollywood's greatest rom com:
https://t.co/1ALwwGTjev
Research shows the arts can boost public health, aiding healing and preventing issues like cognitive decline and anxiety. Dr. Jon LaPook speaks with Broadway director Lear deBessonet about a movement to bring the arts to more people for healthier communities. https://t.co/GrjHuHcSrB
The families of the hostages are suing pro-Hamas organizations operating here in the US. The lawsuit contains a bombshell revelation: “three minutes before Hamas began its attack on October 7th, Columbia SJP posted on Instagram “We are back.” Before the 10/7 posting, Columbia SJP’s account had been inactive for months, only to be suspiciously reactivated minutes before the 10/7 terror attacks. The timing seems too coincidental to be a coincidence.
If there are organizations here in the US that had advance knowledge of the 10/7 attacks, which led to the murder of American citizens, the American people have a right to know the full truth.