Execution Stories

Salem, January 1693 ~~oOo~~ The coarse hemp fibers of the ropes visibly tore at the delicate flesh of her wrists, but Sarah seemed indifferent. Instead, she plodded ahead in calm silence. Even when she stumbled and her fragile body bumped and thumped atop the heap of ugly rocks, no sound left her lips. When she found her feet once more, she trudged onward, head up, staring straight ahead with intelligent eyes as a develop...

"Hashem Shaabani"(Raanana, February 11, 2016) I think I was six years oldWhen I held my father's hand in the sukAnd saw my first hanging,God is great.So was the heat of the sunThe dust and the gnats,Praised be He.I asked my dadWhy that man was dancing in the air,God is great.First he shushed meThen he saidThe man had waged a war against God,Praised be He.I asked my fatherWhat kind of man would do that,God is great.He whis...

He slowly walked through the crowd of people, his eyes roving everywhere. He had expected there to be more noise from the crowd, more jeers and ugly insults hurled, but they were silent and watching him, moving aside without saying a word, too scared to touch or be anywhere near him, as if he were a leper. As he ascended the stairs of the platform he had to hold the railing to stop himself from tripping over and making a...

Ah, Sunday morning. I had already started my weekend ritual by retrieving the Sunday paper from the front porch and retiring to the screened in patio with a cup of coffee. Sitting down, I flipped through the bundle of papers to find the Sunday morning comics. I always enjoy this quiet morning repast before I started my weekend chores.That's when I heard it. A terrible row or ruckus going in the Jurgensen's back yard. Twis...