Even her detractors might agree:
Two of Hedy Epstein’s characteristics—
Pertinacity and indomitability
I’ll add a third and fourth
Tenderness and compassion
As when I called her from Ramallah
To explain why I was unable the day before
To pick up her and friends at Ben-Gurion Airport
After their long flight from Saint Louis
The IDF had detained me and friends for hours
Granting me the most infinitesimal taste
Of what Palestinians routinely undergo
Hedy took this in …
Then the tremulous softness in her voice as she asked
“Did … they … torture … you?”
