A New Kind of Publication
How a film review turned into my first published poem
I am delighted to announce the publication of my poem, Like Wind From the Sea, in BALAGAN (Hope/Exhale Issue). BALAGAN is an online magazine of poetry, art and perspective by Jewish voices in Israel and the Diaspora.
Like Wind from the Sea
Fields of golden wheat, red peppers plump Cover earth burrows Under rocket rain Balloons of fire drift Scorching
Words like flames whisper, pelt Drip like poison, twisted Cultivated, festering Unravel Protected
Blindness breached Tides revolve Thawing stagnation Mending ravaged tapestries Rendering them clean
Randi Madonik Skurka
In September 2025 I attended the world premiere of The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is a documentary directed by Barry Avrich about retired Israeli general Noam Tibon’s rescue of his family and others from Hamas terrorists who invaded their homes during a massacre that sparked an ongoing conflict.
The line for ticket holders wound around Roy Thomson Hall, moving at a snail’s pace due to security, while dueling protesters brandishing flags and placards shouted at each other near the entrance, ringed by police.
A man with a megaphone on the pro-Palestinian side bellowed something accusatory about “enemies of God” as police stood by. To whom or what was he referring? Was this the language of political protest? Of human rights? Or of something else entirely?
Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF (left), welcomed an audience clearly thrilled that the premiere actually went ahead after weeks of controversy, during which the event was pulled and then reinstated.
A panel discussion after the screening (right) included, from left, Gali and Noam Tibon, director producer Barry Avrich, and producer Mark Selby, and was moderated by journalist Lisa LaFlamme.
The film begins with a desperate early morning phone call from the Gibons’ son, journalist Amir, from his home at Nahal Oz, a kibbutz on the border with Gaza - a war-torn yet beautiful place with fields of wheat and vegetables. The ensuing journey of parents racing against time to save their children and grandchildren is such a harrowing yet inspiring tale that I’ve been recommending the film frequently since seeing it.
Noam Gibon overcomes every obstacle possible over the entire day, from an initially absent military response, to burned out cars and bodies littering the highway, helping rescue fleeing Nova Festival survivors who appear out of nowhere, to shootouts with Hamas, ultimately saving hundreds of lives.
The story is powerful, non-political, and of universal appeal. And it inspires hope at a time of escalating hate crimes targeting Jews and their allies, for the simple example of what an individual can accomplish when motivated by love of family and community paired with sheer determination.
I began to write a film review for it. But something happened - the review turned into a poem. And the poem got picked up by an online literary journal called BALAGAN.
Thank you, BALAGAN and Writing On the Wall!