israeli politics

Rivka Bassman-Ben Haim  

who died this March, keeps speaking to me in Yiddish.  I think she wrote this when she was 98 and I translated it and forgot about it.  Today I found it on my desktop.  Did I publish it?  I have no idea:

A word

 

The words wait

until they can wait no longer

and reveal a tear

uttered in the silence of night,

a plea.

Lord God, hear what these words say

hours from now,

years from now,

as if the soul would speak

in a night-time language

to be heard, understood.

A word should be like a kiss

given alone.

Then it brings the morning

Sheltered from sun –

May the word to the morning

bequeath a poem.

 

 

a word from Rivka Bassman-Ben Haim Read Post »

israeli politics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canaan_Dog#Temperament This is a canaan dog.

This breed was first identified in Israel by Professor Rudolfina Menzel who found them eminently trainable.  They’re all over the Middle East, and were considered pariah dogs.  Menzel already had much education and experience when she arrived in Israel.  She had trained German Shepherds for the German army – in Hebrew.  Shev – for ‘sit’.  

She knew what she was doing.

So we’re babysitting a canaan dog.  You can see how well we’ve trained him.

 

 

dogtired- August 14, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

i don’t know if all my friends are well-meaning when they write ‘it’s hopeless.’  Are they saying I should be busy packing up my stuff and heading for some welcoming place like the imaginary places of tv series I use for cutting my anxiety about Bibi’s blindness?   Or are they trying to remind me that they were right years ago when they said this country couldn’t hold?

I keep thinking of the stage of the Farband building where I used to perform, where Yiddish organizations used to lecture, where conferences were held and declarations were made.  It was a scene of chalutzim farming the land. 

The pride I took in being on that stage was immeasurable.  All the refugees in the room felt that pride as well.  At last we could build a home.

 

why it matters – august 13, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

In case you want to know about how many people feel about this country, here’s a poem I’ve just translated by Rafi Weichert

The Window, Years Later

Through this window, half a century ago, the world was revealed to me.  Near, naked, raindrops glistening from the leaves.  I remember it washed completely from the heat of summer and dust, standing like an offer over the sign saying ‘”today only”. Since then, many seasons have passed.  Tree covered with mist and others appeared entire in that light that enfolds the universe.  An automatic blind has been added that I no longer bother to raise, while fires rage without and the world is in flames.  With all this, I love it exactly as then, and still love to awaken.

Rafi Weichert Read Post »

israeli politics

The chapter of this week is Moses prediction of the future.  “See,” he says in Deutermonomy 11:26:  “I place before you today a blessing and a curse”— He then goes on to explain how fulfilling God’s commandments will bring the blessing, and the curse when they are ignored.  

This helps us to understand the ferocity of the religious people to fashion this land into a religious haven, and their hatred of the non-religious.  

But what I see is a misunderstood curse and dark days ahead.  The curse comes from not fulfilling our ideals, the ideals of equality for all.  It’s a question of which commandments we’re talking about.  I think Moses was referring to the original 10 commandments and they’re pretty clear.  Especially the part about not murdering.

Not coveting is also a good one.

 

 

 

 

getting ready for the dark – august 11, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

This is a photo of my father, about 8 years after he arrived in America.  Next to him is the author, Israel Emiot. who had recently arrived – due to the efforts of my mother to reunite him with his wife.  He had been imprisoned in Birobijian and when freed, made his way to Israel, but was discovered there and brought to his wife.  

The reunion was not a pleasant sight, and one that should have been spared a tender child like me.

But you can see how much good the US did my father compared to the much younger Emiot.

 

emiot Read Post »

israeli politics

Speaking of funding, as chair of the Israel Association of Writers in English, I can remember the days when the government paid for our publications, for our activities, and even for conferences.  But the government pulled out long ago and we’ve been supporting ourselves through sales of our journal at readings.  Unfortunately, Covid cut our readings and our connections and our funding has disappeared.   So we’re in crisis and I’m going to try to ameliorate it tonight at the meeting of the board.  Wish me luck.  And if you take a look at our website here and want to help out, let me know.  my email is gut22@tauex.tau.ac.il. We really do our best to connect Israel with the world.

 

contributions Read Post »