there are probably other places for them to escape, if they need to escape, but they need to know they have a choice, here in Tel Aviv.
march 8, 2022 – Sasha Kaganovich Read Post »
This poem about what we don’t know about the holocaust came out today in Tikkun
It begins with the entry pass of my father’s to England. Please tell them what you think of it.
march 7, 2022 – untold Read Post »
When my student complains that she’s been getting the run around in the university to change the title of her thesis, I start remembering all the running around other students have had to do for much less. Then slowly the circle expands to include me and not only the university but every other institution I’ve encountered here. And then our day begins.
Talk about run arounds! We’ve been trying to get hold of the drug Evusheld, which was brought into this country 3 weeks ago but only approved for certain types of immuno-suppressed patients, and Ezi isn’t one of them. I’ve forgotten how many places we’ve turned to for help, guidance, or the bloody drug itself, but it’s definitely a full-time job. So far, nothing.
Now why should anyone be surprised that the refugees who come here after a truly traumatic trip should be getting the same kind of treatment as all of us here do?
Zelenskyy calls out “God will remember!” But most of us are sure he’s not looking and we’ve go other priorities than to save lives, or even to ease the lives of others.
March 7, 2022 – run around Read Post »
We were sitting in Mantra Ray on the beach, talking about politics, high finance, operations and their success rate, and even the vague hamsin weather, when I spotted the sailboat seeming to float between sky and sea. Ezi took the above shot. Me, I took a less ‘artistic’ view.
you can barely see the boat from my perspective – but it is precisely the small size of the boat that I identified with. The helplessness we all feel in the world of massive forces which are determining every aspect of our lives. I can’t even answer my friends who are all nervous and deserve to be calmed down with friendship. I hope they will excuse me – I’ll be back when the skies are just a little more clear.
march 6, 2022 – manta ray Read Post »
The rains have “bathed every vein in such liquor, of which virtue engendered is the flower” as Chaucer said of April – but here it happens at the beginning of March, not the April of England, And this year everything is greener and wilder than ever. Everywhere we go, the smells are overwhelming. Animals appear from nowhere. 
Flowers burst out of unexpected places. 
Besides the lushness, the sense of regrowth, what’s different? We’re so anxious to escape the news as much as possible that everyone was out in nature. Some of the refugees who have reached our borders seem to have local relatives. But many have been caught at the border while their heritage is being checked – of course, there are donations and contributions but there is not enough information about what can be done to help. So we escape to the wonders of blooming nature, knowing we have to capture the good times while we can
march 6, 2022 – flowers Read Post »
Bar Kochba, my son called Zelensky, a hero to the Jewish people, even though his rebellion caused Judea to be – a Wikipedia calls it – “depopulated.” In any case, we seem to be completely absorbed in his heroism and the devastation it is causing. Kids like my granddaughter are not sleeping at night around here – afraid it will reach us somehow. I used to have Hitler dreams when I was her age, sure he would enter our home and kill us all. This situation is much more complex, however. If we were to give the help Zelensky needs, we would be swiftly punished by Putin, who has missiles near our borders. Yet how can we watch silently as masses of people are slaughtered?
march 4, 2022 – war Read Post »
As we raced in the rain to the concert hall so we could make it in time for Zubin Mehta conducting Tosca, we encountered a crowd of people shouting something about Putin. For or against? We were too much in a rush to hear, but when the rain stopped the demonstrators put down their umbrellas and raised flags of Ukraine and signs urging Israel to help in the fight. There are many people here who really identify with Ukraine. And the Russian people.
So of course in the opera it was all I could think of – tyrants, loyalty, and what is worth dying for…
and most of all – the fact that evil is not punished and the good suffer.
march 3, 2022 – protest and Tosca Read Post »
Who can be deaf to the cry of Ukraine? Our hearts are broken and our hands are tied. Putin’s power over Syria is a serious threat to Israel – we dare not endanger our existence. And yet many Israeli citizens have gone to fight in Ukraine, and at least 2000 Ukrainian workers from here have returned to Ukraine to defend their country. The terrible misery of the people has also brought out their heroism. Zelensky is of course the man of the year.
march 2, 2022 – ukraine Read Post »
