Review by Jami Macarty
In her debut collection, The Dove That Didn’t Return, Yael S. Hacohen delivers a poignant exploration of her lived experiences as a female commander in the Israeli Defense Forces from the front lines of the Middle East conflict. Hacohen’s poems scrutinize the nature of warfare, interrogate the concepts of violence and peace, navigate “a different shade / of Judaism,” and traverse the fine line between humanity and brutality to highlight the “constellations of combat” endured by both soldiers and civilians.
In the genre of war poetry often dominated by male voices, The Dove That Didn’t Return stands out by presenting the unique perspective of a female soldier who has “shot an M-16.” Hacohen weaves her personal experiences of military service with biblical and rabbinic themes, framing her reality as she seeks her “own olive tree… own truth, / …own kind of country.”
Many of the poems reimagine biblical narratives. “Pillar of Cloud” reflects on the fears surrounding military service, and “Moriah,” a conversation with Isaac, raises questions about sacrifice. “The Western Wall” contemplates whether the wall is merely “a wall, / nothing more,” a place to “bang… [a] head,” or a site of prayer.
The collection’s title references the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, where the dove bearing an olive branch typically symbolizes peace and hope. However, in the title poem, Hacohen critically reflects on the meaning behind the dove not returning, asking: What peace can exist in isolation? Who suffers from the consequences of war? This inquiry captures the complexities of striving for peace in an unstable region.
While grappling with the complexities of establishing a state in a land also home to others, Yael S. Hacohen’s narrative, declarative poems address the complex realities of family and duty, faith and sacrifice, war and peace without the pretense of easy resolution.
The Dove that Didn’t Return by Yael S. Hacohen. Holy Cow! Press, June 2024.
Reviewer bio: Jami Macarty is the author of The Long Now Conditions Permit, winner of the 2023 Test Site Poetry Series Prize (forthcoming University of Nevada Press), and The Minuses (Center for Literary Publishing, 2020), winner of the 2020 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award – Poetry Arizona. Jami’s four chapbooks include The Whole Catastrophe (Vallum Chapbook Series, 2024) and Mind of Spring (Vallum Chapbook Series, 2017), winner of the 2017 Vallum Chapbook Award. To learn more about Jami’s writing, editing, and teaching practices, visit her author website.
