israeli politics

To escape the tension of Tel Aviv, Orit and her family went to Neve Shalom for a few days, and the sense of relaxation is palpable.  We met first at Ish Lechem, a cafe in Taoz, for me the middle of nowhere, and baked goods were amazing.  It also has a wonderful view – in the hills of Jerusalem.  Even though this is the beginning of the end of a dry season, everything is beautiful.  And you don’t know how tense you are until you begin to relax.      

Oh, and here is the link for Ish Lechem (bread man) https://easy.co.il/en/page/26605794 https://easy.co.il/en/page/26605794

ishlechem – Oct 5, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

Everyone here has a different definition of what democracy is.  For me, it’s rule by an educated democracy that takes the needs of the entire population into consideration.  There aren’t many countries that ever fulfilled the definition, but right now the very concept is in danger, and I don’t know what will be achieved by uniting with Hungary and Poland and maybe France and Germany and the US to preserve democracy – but it’s a nice idea. 

democrisis Read Post »

israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

How do you create a great society?  Teach all the children how to contribute as they grow up – to learn what happens in the society, how they can fit in, and how they contribute. 

Sadly, we stopped doing that a while ago – without an equal and generous system of education that emphasizes the interrelationship of individuals,  we can’t have good, responsible teachers.  I must admit that when I first started teaching here, I was impressed by the sense of purpose my colleagues all had.  I don’t feel that any more.

 

 

Responsible Education Read Post »

israeli politics

Next week I’m having an event at the Writers’ House.  Oct 9, 2023.  Why is this night different from other events I’ve had?  1.  It’s celebrating a new book – one that I have learned to respect more and more. 2. It’s in a building that I fell in love with when I first came to Israel – a home for writers.  I used to appear there every few months for years, celebrated weddings of friends, and spent every friday afternoon in the cafe.  That was all before it lost its status and its money.  In the past few years it has been rescued by group of writers who are also businessmen and now the building will be torn down and rebuilt.  So I will be saying farewell to a major part of my love of this country – the part that was literary, socialist, corrupt and yet idealistic.  3.  I’m going to be surrounded by good friends –  what can go wrong?  

so 7:30 p.m. kaplan 6, tel aviv

oct 2, 2023 – my evening next week Read Post »

israeli politics

This is one of those days when I’m staying home and catching up.  And boy is there a lot to do.  There are journals of the IAWE to send out, forms to fill out I never got to that are catching up with me, floors to wash, an evening to plan, a zoom to plan, and lots of medical papers to organize.  Which doctor on what day and with which papers. 

And poor Kurt Gerron is getting neglected.  I’m trying to get all his 97 films and watch them, to get the sense of his touch of the situation in Germany in 1933.  That’s the thing that’s most important.  Why didn’t he leave like all his friends?  How did he lose touch with reality?  

 

homework – Oct 2, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

Even though our friend spent almost an hour explaining some of the damage being done by the government, the view was so spectacular it made me forget for a moment the imminent danger.    

 

Everything she said was right, and she even enlightened me on underhanded manipulations I hadn’t conceived of, but the sunset, the sunset was so beautiful…

Bless Tel Aviv – Oct 1, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

For those of you who just joined us, this is a totally spontaneous journal started over 22 years ago about Tel Aviv and me.  Sometimes I write nonsense, but I wouldn’t know because I don’t read it.  It’s too scary.  I mean I began it because there were suicide bombers all over Tel Aviv and I would sit in my son’s cafe as if I could protect him.  I thought my friends abroad would want to know I’m okay so I began to check in every day.

But only tonight I realized that even though we’ve been demonstrating for 39 weeks, I may never have explained why and how we demonstrate.  Let’s begin with the elections.  We didn’t know what hit us when Bibi managed to form a coalition by cobbling together the extreme right and extreme religious parties, some of whom don’t even believe in the existence of a Jewish State and have managed to live off our tax money for ages. And while our children are drafted into the army at the age of 18, theirs are already married with children and not working… 

See, I ramble.  I’ve got a grandson in the army and it grabs my attention sometimes.

So the first thing the government did once it got in was to start changing the laws, limiting the courts, making themselves invincible.  So within a week there were hundreds of thousands of people on the streets.  

I blame us for being passive in the past – for accepting shamefacedly that law that was passed making Hebrew the national language when up to now it had been Hebrew/Arabic.  We let bad things happen in the past. Things that went against our declaration of independence. No longer.

We let the whole idea of a constitution go too – we knew it was necessary to confirm a democracy, and were supposed to do it in 1949.  Unfortunately, there was a war and we let it go.  

Oh, so much has gone wrong.  I was just so happy I had a country I just wanted to enjoy it.  Now I realize how much work it takes to create and maintain a democracy.

Oh dear, I’ve been rambling again…

 

Anyw

recap – sept 30, 2023 Read Post »