Jerusalem author finds magic in the mundane after 2026 explosion destroys her home
Sarah Tuttle-Singer's new book explores how the city's daily rhythms survived a traumatic loss in the Old City.
By Kaito Sokolov ·
A devastating explosion in June 2026 destroyed Sarah Tuttle-Singer's home in the Old City of Jerusalem and killed a neighbor. The event served as the catalyst for her new book, Fairy Lights in God’s Backyard: A Jerusalem Love Story. The explosion forced her to confront the loss of her physical home while deepening her emotional connection to the city.
Tuttle-Singer, who previously authored Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered in 2018, describes her new work as a exploration of love, loss, and faith. She notes that the first book focused on discovering the Old City and its communities. The new book examines what happens when a place becomes part of one's identity. The streets are no longer just history or scenery but the backdrop for intimate experiences.
The title reflects her view that Jerusalem is a place where the divine and the ridiculous constantly collide. She describes the city as God's backyard because of the proximity of the sacred and the profane. The fairy lights represent small moments of beauty and human connection. These moments include conversations, acts of kindness, and flashes of joy that persist despite the darkness.
Motherhood plays a central role in the narrative. Tuttle-Singer is the mother of three children: an 18-year-old daughter, a 16-year-old son, and a four-year-old son with special needs. She explains that raising her neurodivergent son has changed how she perceives the city. He notices details that others overlook, such as specific sounds and textures. Through him, she learns to experience familiar places differently.
The book details the beauty and exhaustion of raising a special needs child as a single mother. It highlights how small moments can become sacred geography. A familiar street corner or a little hand reaching for her mother's can carry deep meaning. These instances remind her why life is worth living.
Rabbi Menachem Creditor suggested she write the book after the explosion to process the trauma. The project expanded into a love letter to Jerusalem and its inhabitants. She wanted to write about the darkness without letting it swallow the light. The experience of losing her home has shifted her definition of belonging. She now views a home as the people who know her name and the neighbors who notice her absence.
Tuttle-Singer first visited Jerusalem in 1997 as a teenager on a Young Judaea summer program. She made aliyah in 2010 with her then-husband and two young children. After their marriage ended, she remained in Israel and established her home in Jerusalem. In 2016, she spent a year living in the four quarters of the Old City, including the Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian sections.
She lived for approximately three months in each quarter to understand the city from the inside. She met shopkeepers, religious leaders, musicians, and merchants. This experience informed her first book. While that experiment has ended, her relationship with the Old City continues to define her work and her life.
