israeli politics

at 6:30 in the morning Ezi was already out the door and on the way to the hospital.  I am not  allowed to accompany him since the COVID.  He’s going to get a serology test and then a final rituximab treatment and then a meeting with the hemotologist.  if he gets back early i’m going for a serological test and then if all is well, we’re going on a nature hike on tuesday.  it is a big day.  and all i can do is sit back and wait for the results.  It would be so wonderful if I could move this along, but in my passive state I am unable to do anything except wait.

february 7, 2021 – ezi’s final rituximab Read Post »

blog, my life in tel aviv

“He was just here, in our front yard,” our neighbor says. “I chased him away.  “He was sick.”  Another neighbor races out of the building  “I called the city, but you chased him away so now they won’t come. ”  “They have to come.  It’s sick!”  “Next time, don’t throw stones at it.”  “It won’t come back.”

That was yesterday.  The jackals have been moving closer to populated areas as the streets empty out.  And they are hungry.  People have been bitten, and an infant was snatched from its mother’s arms.  In the north there have been rabid jackals crossing the borders.  They are killed on sight, but it sometimes takes a while to see them.

I was worried about our cat, and she didn’t show up yesterday.  What if she was gobbled up? or bitten?  

Today the cat turned up, and ate enormous amounts.  But when I went to let her out, she wouldn’t go, and showed inordinate amounts of affection – for a wild cat who bites at being touched.  Finally I walked her out and met a third neighbor. “Be careful,” she said, “I saw a jackal here this morning.” 

The cat had raced out of the front yard, and hid for a moment under a car.  Then I saw her racing up the street. 

She knows about the jackal – that’s why she didn’t want to leave.  

 

february 6, 2021 – the jackal Read Post »

israeli politics

Everything about our politics is so terrible, but the accusations yesterday and the arguments over whether to open the lockdown or not – that was unbearable.  Here we are, citizens whose very lives are being determined by a bunch of criminals with only their careers on their minds,  and all we can do is just watch.  

And with 30 odd parties in the coming ele    on – a clear sign of inevitable division of the opposition – its pretty sure that Bibi will win again, and we’ll be back where we started, minus the millions cost of the process.  

There is always the story that when you have two Jews you get three opinions, but it is obvious that this is a sign of the inability to compromise, the unwillingness to let someone who has a small difference of opinion represent you.  I keep thinking that Zelicha, for example, who is a brilliant economist but will not win a seat on his own, could easily go over to Labor or Meretz, and maybe even Yair Lapid, but won’t.  Votes for him will be lost, and that will give an extra margin to Bibi.  The fact that Labor won’t compromise on its ideology is good for my soul, but if I were Meirav Michaeli I would make a deal with Meretz so that votes won’t be lost.

Why is the idea of united parties so important?  Because if you are missing the exact amount needed to add a single candidate, all the votes for that seat do not count at all.  So the more compromises the middle left can make, the more they can join up if only for the election, the better.  But we can do little to make that happen. 

So we played family trivia on zoom last night.  who’s in a league? who grew up where?  what’s his favorite hobby?  At least the kids should remember that they have family even if they can’t see them.

 

february 6, 2021 – politics and trivia Read Post »

israeli politics

Everybody in the country shops on Friday morning.  If I had a choice today I’d go to Baka Al Gharbia for meat, vegetables, kubbe, baklava – and maybe talk to the merchants, maybe meet some friends for a long coffee.  Or maybe go to the Shuk Hacarmel, watch Miri Aloni sing on the corner of the entrance, buy some gym clothes off a cart, grab some felafel…  But with the lockdown I settled for a nearby shopping square that is still considered a very high class place to buy.  it’s right between the apartment that Rabin used to live in and Shimon Peres’ place.  Not wealthy but celebrated.

Now it is crowded with exclusive food shops – bakeries, deli, choclatier, custom loungerie, and a celeb butcher.  Because everyone is masked and coated, it was hard to distinguish the famous from the common, but in any case the lines were so long to get into shops I contented myself with the butcher.  He is himself a big celeb and always seems to pick me out and give me preparation instructions in English.  (my accent is much more Yiddish than English so I don’t know how he guessed it)  I always feel extra special there even though i can’t imagine why.  

 

february 5, 2021 – friday morning Read Post »

blog, my life in tel aviv, poetry

Because I promised to read a poem by Rivka on her birthday next week, i decided to translate a few of them.  When i finished this draft, I began to cry.  what do you think?

There is a time

When more quietly than quiet the poem resides.

Where is the poem?

Consumed in the fires

Dumbfounded by hunger

In the ghastly rasp of a bullet

In the bloody scream of terror

Frozen in icy snow

Where is the poem?

In memory.

february 4, 2021 – Rivka bassman’s birthday party and a poem Read Post »

blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

This is it, the final moments – we’re going to know who is going to run in the coming elections.  what teams, what political parties can combine with the others and whether the government will be a better one.  My favorite candidate is the guy who dropped out.  itzik Shmueli – the guy who was so devoted to the goal of helping win over the corona that he totally screwed up his political career. 

After him, I admire Benny Ganz terribly.  

But I’ll probably vote for Labor as always.  They look good – ideologically speaking.  And it’s a family tradition. 

 

february 4, 2021 – musical chairs begins Read Post »

israeli politics

in these times, not all communication is virtual.  sometimes there are physical things like mail.  and mail is not simple in these times.  Time was when you get a package from abroad, you’d have to go the central customs office to clear it. It was such a complicated affair that Ephraim Kishon invented a complicated board game called “A package has arrived.”  But things became more simple in recent years and before corona many packages arrive to our local grocer next door, who takes on the role of a distribution center.   he’s beginning to do that again, but our packages still go to the post office.  and the post office is a pain in the neck.  Takes forever and is not pleasant.

But sometimes we get packages from Amazon.  And it always happens that Ezi is on the balcony when he comes by.  The delivery man drives by, sees Ezi, and throws it up.  Ezi catches it, and it almost makes up for all the packages we had to go to the p.o. for.   

not quite.  

But sending out mail has been simplified.  You download the forms at home, fill them out, and then take them and the package to the P.O.

so send me my presents by amazon please….

 

february 3, 2021 – mail Read Post »

blog, ,

I’ve been talking all day to friends who are mothers and it seems to me they are the heroines of this entire situation.  All of them are professional women, and in the good days their kids are in daycare, or school from 8-4, with hot lunches, and they pick them up from work, play with them for an hour or two, make a salad for the kids and their partners bathe the kids for bed.   Now everyone is at home and home has become hell.  On the other hand their cellphone has become their real place of residence.  

february 2, 2021 – home Read Post »