israeli politics

But you didn’t want to know about Yiddish. You wanted to know about language loss in English. Of course it’s the lesser-used words that disappear. Once upon a time I was known as the professor who in the middle of the lecture stopped and said – “Oh, what’s his name? Shakespeare!” I was young so it wasn’t taken by the laughing class as a sign of dementia, but my quirky sense of humor. Now, it would be suspicious. People would try to help me.  Shout out advice – “forget it – it will come back in an hour” “or the middle of the night”  And it would indeed return at the most inappropriate times – a word totally unrelated to the context of the conversation.

I know this happens in every language, but in the middle of a lecture?

oy, I need to go to a conference (one of my most hated activities) so I can remember the language used for my profession.

language loss continued

But you didn’t want to know about Yiddish. You wanted to know about language loss in English. Of course it’s the lesser-used words that disappear. Once upon a time I was known as the professor who in the middle of the lecture stopped and said – “Oh, what’s his name? Shakespeare!” I was young so it wasn’t taken by the laughing class as a sign of dementia, but my quirky sense of humor. Now, it would be suspicious. People would try to help me.

may 10, 2021 – language loss continued Read Post »

israeli politics

As anyone who has come to live in Israel who lives in Hebrew will admit – the native language slowly erodes.  This was less of a problem for me when I was teaching in English, but even though I still direct a few doctorates, write poetry, read novels, research articles, etc.  I often find myself missing a word in English and substituting it with another language.

Especially now, when I have been writing in Yiddish

And, although I’ve been studying Arabic and my understanding has increased dramatically, Yiddish is far more important – perhaps because the words used today in programs like Duolingo, and even sometimes in the comprehensive English-Yiddish dictionary, seem made-up substitutes to me.  Like what you say in one language when you don’t have a word so you use one in your own language and give it a little accent to make it fit in.  And the big thing about the loss of the original – the everyday words that no one ever wrote down – those are the words I connect to real people.  And with every word forgotten, another victim becomes anonymous.

 

More on this tomorrow.

 

November 9, 2021 – forgetting language Read Post »

israeli politics

I know it’s late but it was one of thse days – it began with what I was thinking about what to say in the lecture about wisdom and the thought that widening academic and other horizons.  And then I thought about how wonderful this countrycould be if only we could learn from each other.  And suddenly I found myself talking with Jereis Khoury who now heads the Arabic department and how much could be accomplished by interdepartmental conferences.  And by the end of th morning we had a conference lined up at the end of the school year.  

The day continued like that.  One amazing thing after another.  Abracadabra.  

 

November 8, 2021 Read Post »

israeli politics

a few days ago i screwed up my laptop and have had to go to the desktop to write here.  It messed up my spontaneity bad, but I’m getting used to it.  So I have been preparing a lecture about wisdom I will have to give with Mayzun in a few weeks about academic wisdom, and when I complained to Ezi that I had no good example to give of the need for general knowledge and wide vision, he reminded me of the story of Professor Hanan Harari who claimed to have done a survey of prospective students for engineering and asked them “If you had to construct a conduit for blood from ashdod to Eilat what would you have to consider?”    There were many great mechanical answers but no one asked why.

November 7, 2021 – computer woes and blood Read Post »

israeli politics

I used to publish a lot of poetry and translation in the U.S.  It was pretty simple.  I would send in a few poems to a journal, with a stamped self-addressed envelope for the response, and within a few month a journal would appear.  Today the process is much simpler.  Submissions are through submittable and take a second to send out.  But I never get an answer.  Sometimes a standard rejection, but usually nothing.  I used to attribute it to my diminishing talent, but it has become clear that my Israeli address has made a difference.  I am one of the bad guys who chose to remain here even when the “dream” of Zionism developed into something less than desirable.  

And what is my reward?  My Israeli publisher is pretty much ghosting me because I’m not famous anymore.   I know I should go back to my old publishers and renew old ties, but I’m frozen.

Why?  I’m stuck in a land I can’t defend and can’t change.  All I can do is make my own life as humane and poetic as I can, and to try to influence as many others – Jews and Palestinians – to try to come together.   The atmosphere here seems to be changing a bit, and I can do my little part to contribute to it.

But it is a little part, I know.  

 

november 6, 2021 – powerlessness Read Post »

israeli politics

What could I have to worry about, you ask?

Well, there are the problems I can’t solve – like Iran’s multiple attacks on us – in the air, cyber, sea, etc.  Attacks so persistent and aggressive they will succeed in some way at some time to disturb our lives.

Then there’s another problem i can’t succeed in solving – the Palestinian issue.  I can state my opinion and do what I can to alleviate the situation, but that’s all.  So personal attacks on me as an Israeli are painful, but can’t do any good,

What about whether God exists or not?  Can I solve this question/  Well, that one is much easier.  I choose to believe in a Being and I hope that Being believes in me and my attempts to live worthy life.

Problems I really can’t solve – 1. children and grandchildren.  All I can do is cook and invite and listen and pay and go when I’m invited.

2. My computer and it’s relationship to the university.  Maybe I’ll finally get to ask the right questions when I talk to them on Sunday, 

3. My parents’ Yahrzeit/  Of course I observe it.  They passed away on the same day within two years of each other.  I think about them much of the month of November, they miraculous lives, their escapes, their dedication to others, their very tragic deaths.  But I’m far from their graves, from any one who remembers or cares about them.  It is of course the problem of any person who lives far from where he grew up, but I think about it more right now because a friend is dying far away from his family, who too are spread around the world, and the big question is – where will he be buried?  Who will win the opportunity of visiting his grave?

So I have gone from the general to the specific, but all of them are problems….


November 5, 2021 – problems Read Post »

israeli politics

I have to admit I didn’t know anything about Sigd, the national holiday that wasn’t observed here today.  For Ethiopian Jews it’s a major holiday about longing for Zion and I have no idea how a holiday so full of feeling, and declared a national day here since 2008 was never in my consciousness.   

november 4, 2021 – sigd Read Post »

israeli politics

Israel has been functioning without a budget for the past couple of years, apparently in order to keep Bibi in charge.  And now that he is not PM, he’s trying to keep the proposed budget from getting passed.  What does it mean for us?  that maybe we’ll have some order.  and maybe there will be some order in the other communities as well.  Everything is so upside down here – even the supermarket site that I’ve been using online for the past dozen years or so it turns out is favoring the ultra-religious, offering them prices that total more than a third less.  And the ultra-religious schools and communities are said to receive more than double the funding, but it isn’t traceable because there is no budget.  I’m praying the situation is equalized.  I’m sure that most of the society – ultrareligious and not – would prefer an organized method of distributing funding.  

The voting is tonight.

november 3, 2021 – budget Read Post »