It should be no surprise that we live in one of those tv adventure series where there is something new every day. Yesterday was the revolution in Syria – and that will give us many twists and turns in the months to come. But there also hundreds of other surprise plots that are still cooking from last week – like Iran – like the hostages – Netanyahu’s trial. Each day of each one of these incidents is enough to keep us glued to the tv to see what’s happening next.
So many of our theater heroes participated in this show. They reminded us of amazing accomplishments – remarkable moments in history and moments of serious criticism that reminded us of why the government hates the arts so much. Scenes from the past, and questions of the future made for a significant evening.
And now I will relate a story about the Cameri and its past. Long ago, when Oren had a restaurant in the Yemenite quarter, we took an old lady who used to live in Israel but was now American to dinner there. And as we passed the Galileo hotel that has since become a hostel, she suddenly said, “I know this hotel! I stayed there in 1948 when I worked at the Cameri when it was at Mograbi Theater. Marcel Marceau was in the next room, because he too was volunteering!” I wonder whether the Cameri people know that one of their first actors was Marcel Marceau.
Cameri Theater – 80th Anniversary Read Post »
or
a little bit about why Israelis are not overwhelmed with grief over the situation in Gaza
War Twofer
I am convinced that the people of Gaza would be happy to return the hostages and get rid of Hamas –
May I be forgiven in the next world – but I cannot face cooking for the family any more. The tastes of the next generations are so foreign to me and my own cooking so tired, I need a break.
So what does a Jewish princess make for dinner? Reservations of course.
The problem is that company comes on Shabbat. And many restaurants in Tel Aviv, those that have survived, are not open on shabbat. So I spent the morning looking for reservations for the coming birthdays – and there are quite a few.
Why not get a caterer, you ask? Same problem. Also, I haven’t done this before and therefore don’t know where to begin and whether to test out a caterer on friends or family.
What I would like to do is make chicken soup, chopped liver, roast chicken – sweet-sour, potatoes, salad, compote and cake. No one will go for that.
reservations – 4.12.24 Read Post »
at 7 a.m. we showed up for a ritual we’ve been going through for decades – a series of medical tests in which in the course of a morning you see most of the doctors you could possibly want to see in the course of a lifetime. Then they write up their reports and send them to us eventually.
I haven’t done this for a long while because of covid, the war, etc. And now that I’ve done it – i will a need a week to recover.
First of all I always wind up having to do the fitness tests at the end of the day when I’m exhausted, hungry, and impatient. I don’t know how this happens, but I see these young people in shorts entering the argumentry room and they’re all fresh and fed.
I want to push them aside and scream that I’m too old for this and need to get through it just after breakfast.
But I don’t.
Anyway I was the last one out at 2 in the afternoon, and found myself unable to function. that is – the doctors made me sick.
It is amazing that there is a program like this – Once it was very luxurious with lots of breakfast treats, and individuals who paid close attention to your individual needs, but now it is a screen you must pay close attention to – a problem when you have drops in your eyes. And in the past I met some great people there – especially ‘celebs’. This time it was all these high tech people who don’t talk to people like me.
Never mind – I’ll go to the theater tonight and erase my trauma.
Medical Marathon – 3.12.24 Read Post »
It seems there’s a few groups in Lebanon who haven’t heard about the ceasefire. We’re still getting rockets. But the atmosphere has begun to pcik up. I now am beginning to assess the damage to my mind, my life as well as the country. Of course there is the damage all around – the terrible ongoing situation of the hostages, the tragedies of their families, the ptsd of an entire population, the disintegration of the concept of moral government, etc. etc. But there’s also the distintegration of my mind. The uncertainty of every day makes so much to hold in my memory that I am forgetting the most important things – even family. I hope we can learn to forgive each other. If I owe you a letter, I’m asking for mass forgiveness. If I missed your party – I don’t remember…. I’m still busy waiting for a siren.
slow start – 2.12.24 Read Post »
With the Houtis still sending us rockets, and Isis trying to take over Syria, our troubles are not over.
I’m used to the sirens so I follow the rules automatically.
But I’m just waiting for the hostages to come home and then I’ll start worrying about Isis and then maybe the Houtis.
And then, maybe, I can start worrying about concentrating on writing.
This is not just a personal confession. Not only is the Israel Association of Writers in English holding an evening about “uncertainty” but SELI, the organization of English departments in Israeli universities, is having a conference next month about the difficulty of writing now. Creativity as well as Concentration is much more difficult in this extended war.
it’s not over – 1.12.24 Read Post »
prayers
https://www.minyanmag.com/karenalkalaygut-issue13.html
https://www.minyanmag.com/karenalkalaygut-issue13.html
This is my latest poem about the war, and I hope it is my last publication on this subject. May this war end and the repairs and restructures begin! I would love to see the Gazans rebuild their beautiful country.
prayers – 30.11.24 Read Post »
