israeli politics

passing on a mail that came my way today:

Hi, my name is Doron Ofir and I am a student in 11th grade at Branko Weiss High School in Modiin.
Today, I came with some people from the school as a troupe to the Ministry of Education to perform at the ceremony of the tranferring of ministers.
We entered, received an amazing and warm welcome.
From there, the ceremony began, and then, in one second, my smile fell to the floor.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Yifat Shasha Bitun, came to give a final speech as the Minister of Education and to welcome the Minister of Education, of the Likud, Yoav Kish.
Dr. Shasha Bitun addressed the minister, and he responded by insultingly sitting at the table, and talking on his mobile phone.
When the outgoing minister turned to him to listen to her, he replied, “We have heard you for a year and a half.”
I was confused.
Forget the right-left, religious-secular, male-female, just-right-unjust;
First of all, you should show respect to the person standing next to you by your side and speaking to you, simple politeness.
As a student in Israel, I was shocked to understand that this was going to be my new Minister of Education.
His response, the contempt, is this supposed to serve as an example for education in Israel?
Before the honorable minister left the podium, she said to Mr. Kish, “We are partners with the same goal.” Good luck.”

education Minister – jan 2, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

They got me with this new tv series – Madrasa – about a dual language school, Hebrew and Arabic.  Sayyed Kashua is one of the writers, and even though he’s not here, his footprints are all over the show.  Of course you have to know one of the two languages because they speak, and the subtitles, are in the two languages.

 

it’s here

and if you can bear a little suspension of disbelief, watch it before the government takes down the entire children’s tv station.

madrasa – jan 1, 2023 Read Post »

israeli politics

We went to visit the place where the Declaration of Independence was first signed, promising equality for all.  

so we walked the “Independence trail” and found much that reminded me of our uniqueness and independence.

  

But then I happened upon a group of tourists, led by a very authoritative guide, who stopped before a shop on Allenby and explained the architecture in great detail.

then she pointed out the fact that the restaurant was kosher and closed on shabbat.  

What she didn’t notice, was that the place was for sale…

allenby – dec 31, 2022 Read Post »

israeli politics

Last day of the year so I should tell you what I think of the 2022 Pulitzer prize winner, the Netanyahus having found it a great escape from reality for the past few days.  

What a mixture of contemporary college life with the life of the fifties! I kept criticizing details while enjoying the whole.  But it was only at a point in the middle that I had to shout out to Ezi that there were deep truths buried here.  

That was the moment when the Netanyahu boys were watching westerns on TV.  Because I always say that Meir Kahane learned his politics from Hopalong Cassiday and the settlers circling their wagons against the bloodthirsty Indians.  But Gunsmoke and the later westerns had a little more humanity in them and Bibi didn’t learn that from them.  

It was also the blending of Harold Bloom with the narrator I found strange, and the partial need to straighten out the truth and the fiction at the end of the book.  It feels like he was hounding people to get his kind of information from them and they (rightly) wouldn’t comply because they knew he would be ‘using’ them.  

He’s a great writer, Joshua Cohen, but I really hope he focuses on something else next time.  

But yes, it is rollicking funny. And except for Lawrence Durell, the first author I couldn’t put down until the end.    

Want something to read?  Read “The Weight of Ink.”  Even that one feels more unified and ultimately truthful. 

the netanyahus – dec 31, 2022 Read Post »

israeli politics

As much as I support the opposition and couldn’t bear the sight of the new government being sworn in, I was happy when Gantz today condemned the catcalls they made in the Knesset yesterday.  It reminded me of the morality that we forgot about.   And I was happy that Benny Ziffer was on tv today saying that Bibi promised him that nothing serious will change.

Of course, none of this comforts me.  I’m still staying home mourning.

 

 

that’s what he said – dec 30, Read Post »

israeli politics

I haven’t been to Mishkenot Shaananim since I gave a talk there maybe 5 years ago about Assia Guttman.  But yesterday and today there was a conference on Amichai that was pretty smashing.  

First of all, there were enormous audiences.  Amichai of course deserves enormous audiences, and I found thousands of people who miss him as much as I do.  Today was a day of more academic papers and for some reason I found myself giving a paper (in my inimitable sloppy and confused way).

I just couldn’t concentrate.  I was so impressed with the facilities as well as Amichai’s poetry on my screen I spent too much time on the first part of my talk and didn’t have time for the second part.  

Why oh why can’t Tel Aviv drum up a literary audience?  Why oh why isn’t there a proper home for literary endeavors here?  Yes, there is Writers House on Kaplan Street, but we don’t have the funding for organizational staff.  We don’t even have the money right now to paint.  No private funding, no sponsors, no donors.  Maybe I’m missing something.  But I’ve been running the Israel Association of Writers in English for a few years – just because there’s no one else who’ll take it over and I’ve never met a donor in Tel Aviv. 

But never mind.  Tel Aviv operates on its own, and maybe art should be independent.  Poor and independent. 

amichai conference – dec 28, 2022 Read Post »