israeli politics

I’m not afraid of heat, and didn’t mind walking through Tel Aviv today in 40 degree heat.  But it’s almost sunset and it’s still 35 – Celcius of course.  I remind you – this is April.  Imagine what it will be like in the summer.

And I remind you, this is Ramadan.  That means almost a quarter of our population is fasting all day – no food OR water until sunset.   

It shouldn’t be surprising that we had something of a riot in Yaffo last night.  We’ve been gentrifying the neighborhood for almost a generation – It must be almost 20 years ago that I was rehearsing with Liz in her house in Jaffa when a stone flew in the window next to me.  “Just children playing,” she said, and went back to our music.  I saw a video yesterday of a tv interview we did together in her practice room and it reminded me of that moment.  What were we doing playing jazz in that neighborhood anyway?  I don’t mean that Jews shouldn’t be able to live in Arab neighborhoods, because we have many Arabs living in our Jewish neighborhood.  The problem with Jaffa is that the very nature of the neighborhood has been changed by wealthy entrepreneurs.   

 

april 19, 2021 – 35 degrees in the evening Read Post »

israeli politics

There are things about Biden that bring tears to my eyes – his humanity, his honesty, his sense of equality.  And yet, sometimes he scares me.  What if he’s right, but the rest of the world is so wrong we’re going to blow ourselves up in the meantime?  what if he is so interested in working with Iran that a bomb is enabled within months that will be used immediately on us?  

april 18, 2021 – biden, iran, and maybe u Read Post »

blog, my life in tel aviv, poetry, ,

It was really thrilling for me to translate Emma Lazarus’s New Colossus to Hebrew.  Even if you don’t know Hebrew, you’ll get my amazing enthusiasm about the poem in the clip…  Let them know if you like it.

It was the first poem that brought me to tears when I was growing up, but the more I studied poetry as a student the more embarrassed I was about loving it.  No one seemed to take the poem as seriously as I did.  But today, when I heard Biden quote a line from the poem, I realized once again that it was the quintessential poem for me, and I was proud that I always believed in the ideals it represents. 

 

April 17, 2021 – The new colossus Read Post »

israeli politics

Even though cemeteries are locked on Saturdays, when Muma expressed a desire to visit her father’s grave on the anniversary of his death, we went.  After all, we’ve missed the memorials of Ezi’s parents for two years, and it has always been their way of mourning.  No kaddish, no candles, no speeches.  Only a moment of silence over the grave.  

But although the gates were, of course, barred, we knew of a back door and found our way through the deserted cemetery.  “Not a living soul,” Muma remarked.

Something there chilled me to the bone, and I find myself frozen in bed under heavy covers.  I’ll watch Prince Philip’s funeral like many many of my fellow Israelis,  and see if I can’t get up to go visit the kids.

april 17, 2021 – cemetery Read Post »

israeli politics

Every conversation I’ve had with friends has been the same – what have I done with this year.  It’s a total waste.  If I had known at the beginning it would go on like this I might have taken up a project.  Maybe I would have learned a language, remodeled my house…. 

well we didn’t and now that maybe the corona is over for Israel – we don’t know what to do.  

 

but let it be over first, and then we’ll talk about the pecular ptsd we’re going through.

april 16, 2021 – ptsd corona Read Post »

israeli politics

so that’s what I’ve learned in the past two days.  I’ve become terrified of naivete and unpredictability  – viz: children.   the hotel we went to was one Ezi decided was boutique, meaning luxurious, quiet, childless, with exclusive food.  But we arrived together with a sea of children that should have made us turn around and go home.  Because it meant we would not go near the pool area, would not have quiet in the evenings, and could have noisy and chaotic meals.

But I have learned from this.  One – it is not the children, it is the parents.  Two – we get along anywhere. Three – Ezi should not be allowed to choose vacations without careful supervision.

 

  

april 16, 2021 – are you afraid of children Read Post »

israeli politics

I admit it.  I wanted to get away from Independence Day.  Not because I don’t love this country with all my heart, but because I am full of sadness at what has become of the ideology of Independence Day.  And I don’t believe in barbeques.  

Now how can I show this sadness to my grandchildren?  

So we came up north – and how could I have believed that here, in Tiberias, we would find the peace of the Galilee?

  The music is pounding in our ears and the pool we thought we’d be relaxing in is filled with screaming children.  So we went hiking in the hills – as much as my still-sore toe could bear.  To Susita.

 

where we were pretty much on our own, and the ruins were all around us.

A sarcophagus on the road, a view of Hermon mountain, the amazing green mountains around us – all, all was wonderful.  And I remembered suddenly that when I was down in the valley, on the banks of the sea, in Ein Gev, in 1966, the Syrians were firing down at us from up here. 

Then we went up to Metula, when my friend still lives on there on her own – an intellectual and pastoral life – with many books and pictures of family, and part of a shell that fell into her yard in one of the more recent wars on a shelf among the books.

It centers one a bit.

Then as we drove back down south, passing all the exceedingly well-kept Christian sites, and visited the Mount of Beatitudes. 

I’m just showing the most banal aspects of the Mount of Beatitudes.  Of course, there are much more beauteous pictures.  But just from this, you can see how effective the Sermon on the Mount would be here.  Here it seems almost easy to love one another.

Back in Tiberias, however, I’m thinking maybe I have to learn to stop looking down on celebrants – they don’t have a sore toe and aren’t thinking about the Prime Minister who is leading us into war so we can make sure he clinches his government.  

Yes! Happy Independence Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

april 15, 2021 – Independence day Read Post »