israeli politics

The question everyone is asking:  How is Bibi going to succeed in creating a government?  It’s not – there’s no way he’s going to succeed.  It’s like watching Houdini, knowing he will escape, but holding your breath until he does.  Wait – once he didn’t.

So who is Bibi going to peel away from his declared party?  There are a few possibilities – people who can be wooed away from their pre-election promises.  

My ideal outcome is that Benny becomes the compromise prime minister and we begin to trust one another again.  (I feel like I’m closing the big storybook with all the kiddies sitting on the floor around me open-mouthed.)

march 26, 2021 – where is the hat and who is the rabbit? Read Post »

israeli politics

Every day I think of the luck I’ve had – not to be born a slave, to be able to make choices – at least some of the time.  I know our election would probably not make a difference in our society, but the fact that I can try to change something still makes things better to my mind.

And now here is a moment of confession.  This is one of the rare years when my birthday is the same in the Hebrew calendar and the Roman calendar.  I’ve probably said this already in these pages.  The war was still raging, my parents had escaped a bombing by chance – the story as I heard it was that they were about to meet each other and were walking toward each other from opposite  corners of the street when a bomb fell between them.  I have no way of verifying this story but as of now none of my mother’s stories have been proven fantasies or exaggerations.  So this event probably happened today 76 years ago.  Maybe it was before then, but I still remember the smock my mother wore and how I pictured her when she told me the story.

i’ll tell you more about my birthday some other time.  My point in this story was that my parents were in the middle of the mess, but they were free,  They weren’t rounded up and shot, or pushed into gas chambers, or given poison injections – they were walking on the street…

so i choose to limit my activities to relatively safe alternatives.  and i’m free

 

march 26, 2021 – the day before the seder Read Post »

israeli politics

we were slaves

and now we’re free.

let’s appreciate it.

“What do you want to do for your birthday?” My daughter asked, and I suddenly realized – I have no idea.  I have to learn from the beginning what I feel, what I want, where I want to go.  I know I want to be with as many children as possible, to feel all over again.  This Passover in Israel there is a sense of new beginnings, despite the elections – or perhaps because of the uncertainty of the elections.


march 25, 2021 – we were slaves Read Post »

israeli politics

Okay, people got what they deserved.  Stay home in protest and you get the mess you asked for.

Me, I spent the day trying to get a second opinion from a highly recommended doctor – a really nice guy. And after years of seeing doctors I know how to separate bull from data.  So ultimately I left with a referral to another specialist and a growing suspicion of the medical profession.

What I did learn today was that the hospital is crowded with people who look like they’re not terribly sick.  That it’s almost back to normal.  Even the coffee counters are working. I’ve spent so much time in this hospital I feel I can feel its pulse.  Maybe that’s why I feel I can read when a doctor knows what he’s saying and what he’s not saying. 

Maybe that’s why I feel I know about how the elections are going and what they mean.

 

march 24, 2021 – Read Post »

israeli politics

Of course, we voted early, and of course in our neighborhood, the voting poll was crowded.  But we’re probably the only ones.  The voting is down – it’s always down on the left when the people are in despair.  Leftists despair and give up – rightists get together to support each other.  While the airport has been crowded for weeks for people who have come in to vote for the religious parties, every Israeli citizen I know who’s abroad is staying there, and many who live here went off to the Sinai Desert for the holidays..  

march 23, 2021 – election day Read Post »

israeli politics

Because a friend bought me a ticket, and because it had been highly recommended by another friend, I left Ezi at home and went to see “A Tale of Love and Darkness.”  

I have to add I’ve read the book, saw the movie, saw My Michael, read every article, and have had endless conversations about Amos Oz.  From what I knew, he was a very sad, driven man of great conscience and I always liked and respected him.  This play reflects what I know of him – but I wasn’t excited by it the way I was excited by him.  He was simply an exciting man and an exciting writer.   

march 22, 2021 – a tale of love and darkness Read Post »

israeli politics

The friend who took me to the port is a real old bitch, the kind I sometimes want to be.  She doesn’t hesitate to castigate people about their mask laziness, like the teacher she used to be.  “Don’t get all upset,” one young man dared answer her.  “I just forgot to pull it up off my chin.”  “You’re still endangering me!”   she shouts like a hall monitor.  “Getting into my private space with all your germs!”  In the meantime, I’m buying cheese and trying to appear knowledgeable, not even daring to ask for a taste.  Certainly trying to appear as if I am not with her, but grateful she’s keeping me safe. 

People like me would rather die than make a fool of themselves.

This is part of the reason the elections are going to be a failure.   Those people who lost hope the last time around don’t want to be shamed again and won’t vote.  I’m going to make a few calls.  Maybe there’s a chance I can do some good.

march 22, 2021 – tel aviv port, elections Read Post »