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The candles and the flowers are all gone now. I stare at the empty space, from the 3rd floor window across the street. Azsia Johnson, a 20 year old Woman of Color, dreamt about becoming a pediatric nurse. She was walking on East 95th street in New York, pushing a stroller and was shot in the head on this street, at close range. She was shot by a man who had walked behind her, clad in black and wearing a ski mask. Azsia was shot on June 29, 2022 at 8:23 pm., pronounced dead at 9:20 pm. There were articles on June 29th, 30th, July 1st, and July 15, but none that I can find after that. The baby, a girl called Khloe, was three months old. Azsia had been living in a shelter in Harlem and texted her mother that she was going to meet her boyfriend to “work things out.” The July 1st article reported that Isaac Argo, the 22 year old boyfriend was charged with the murder. The prosecutors called Azsia’s killing a “premeditated execution.” Neither the sidewalk, nor the street bore any more traces this morning. I take the steps down and cross the street, walking along the sidewalk, cautiously resting my feet on the ground. Can my feet sense any trace of Azsia’s feet? My stomach tightens, and my legs quicken, but I make it to the crosswalk unharmed.
Three hours later, I take the F train downtown to a 12.00 o’clock rally in Washington Square Park, protesting the assassination of Israeli democracy, joining other Israelis who are demonstrating all over the world. As I walk with the protesters I think about the similarities between Azsia’s death and the events in Israel. A targeted assassination. An enraged, disempowered man, who was once beloved and has a history of trouble with the law. A victimized female. Hebrew is a gendered language and a country in Hebrew is feminine, a female. Growing up in Israel, I worried about Israel’s survival in the face of invasions and terrorism. But now the threat is from within, from its own Prime Minister and his allies, many of them are religious f