It's the Brian Lara Show on WNYC. Good morning, everyone. David Remnick editor of The New Yorker

and host of The New Yorker Radio Hour is with us. After the October 7th attack, he personally went

to Israel and has just published a masterful piece of reporting that is rich in history,

respects the experiences of both Israelis and Palestinians, if I may say, and includes political

analysis that goes beyond trying to lay blame and express rage. It's worthy of what we know,

David Remnick, to be in his position as editor of The New Yorker, and it's good if you have time

on your hands, too, because it displays at 47 pages. David, we always appreciate when you come

on this show. Sometimes it's to have some fun. I always enjoy those, but in this case, I just

want to start by thanking you for your deep take that even includes some rays of hope. Welcome

back to WNYC. It's always good to talk with you, Brian. Thank you so much. And we'll save that

ray of hope for the end with one sound bite from the Radio Hour version. But David, why did you decide

to personally run toward the fire as it were after the Hamas invasion of October 7th as editor

and chief? It doesn't have to be you. Well, I've been covering this part of the world for a very,

very long time. And we also had other people writing about this, I should say, Ruth Margulite in

Israel. We've had a young poet inside Gaza has written a couple of dispatches from us for

Mosub Abu Toa. And Isaac Chautner has done any number of interviews. It's just I do know my way

around there a little bit and have written many pieces from there over the years from Gaza,

from the West Bank, as well as from Israel. And I felt compelled to do it. But I'm back and others

will write more. You titled your article in the cities of killing, cities plural, a reference

to a landmark Hebrew poem from around 1904 after a devastating Russian program. Could you tell

that story a little bit? Even many Jews don't know it. The Cition of Program and the poem that came

as a response? Yeah. In 1903, in the pale of settlement where Jews were made to live in the

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