Six months ago, the war between Israel and Hamas began, with the dramatic events on October 7 and all that followed. Arjen Barel was in the north of the country at the time and experienced the first four days of the war, albeit in relative safety, but with an incredible intensity. One that still haunts him now and then and thus raises the question: what does living in a war do to others, especially those who have been living under the pressure of mutual aggression for six months now? To find out, he called a number of friends for whom this is everyday reality. Friends who are not directly in the throes of war, but whose lives are constantly affected by it. Because it takes place in their environment, and because they are confronted by it almost every minute of the day. He had conversations that were not about the political situation but revolved around the personal. How do you keep yourself mentally sane? How do you make sure your children are not too burdened by it? How can you manage?
Most of the episodes of this podcast consist of these conversations, barely edited and thus an honest representation of how Arjen’s friends are feeling at the moment. In this way, they give a genuine insight into what it is like to live in a war.
