tikkun – Nov 1, 2023 Read Post »
blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv
when I dance with my husband of almost 44 years, he does everything to ensure that I don’t know the next step, to keep me on my toes, so to speak. He doesn’t do that with other women, and he doesn’t do that in our life, so I think he’s training me for war.
“There’s going to be a war at the end of the holidays!” I’ve said to friends, who didn’t even acknowledge my cry with a question. “Don’t go into Gaza,” I’ve been screaming for the past three weeks, and now I’ve begun to breathe because I see just a bit of logic in our movements. I kept thinking we were like the British Army in the American Revolution, standing in formation to shoot while the wily Americans shot from behind.
All this I learned from getting caught up in the music while getting my foot stepped on repeatedly while dancing with my husband.
I still love dancing with him!
blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv
What a great evening! It began with a siren that Ezi assured me was not worth hiding from – “It’s pretty far enough away,” and I went into Bob McBarton’s zoom meeting with Adam Mansbach with my heart still beating double time.
But the meeting about “The Golem from Brooklyn” was so much fun and yet so profound I forgot about the world outside, even when we spoke about the moral responsibility of power.
Then the meeting was over and the news was on and another few barrages brought me back to reality.
blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv
Ever see “The Night of the Hunter,” where the old lady, Lilian Gish, sits with her rifle across her knees protecting the children while the murderer lurks outside? I feel like that old lady – only I don’t have a rifle.
And here are the children:
The Children, the children – oct 21, 2023 Read Post »
blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv
There are so many people and places in trouble now, so many people displaced in this country as well as in Gaza, so many requests you are probably getting for money.
I must add that because we don’t have enough pathologists, and the bodies of October 7 were so defaced, the identification of the bodies and therefore the funerals have been painfully delayed. There are still many people who are not sure that their loved ones are dead.
Then there is the site for donations to the soldiers. money for sweaters, clothes, underwear…
And there are thousands more.
Here is one that you probably haven’t received, from Kuchinate a company of African women refugees:
Dear Friends, We are writing to you with heavy hearts and in despair. The recent terror attacks by Hamas and the resulting war in Israel have shocked and saddened us all. In addition to our indescribable grief and loss, Kuchinate’s artisans and asylum-seeking community find themselves on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Due to rocket attacks and other developments relating to the war, we have been forced to close our studio for the foreseeable future, and it is currently impossible to generate income through sales of Kuchinate products or by hosting workshops, which our women rely on to survive. As African asylum-seekers, they are unable to access any social benefits or emergency funds. Kuchinate is responsible for hundreds of asylum seeking women, who are now unable to provide for their children and families and will shortly face hunger, eviction from their homes and dire poverty. In a state of distress, we are turning to our loyal supporters for urgent help. Any purchase or donation, no matter how large or small, will make a difference. In these troubling times, we stand with and support all of the innocent victims. We have decided to donate 10% of all our income to those affected by these tragic events. Your support will not only help sustain the vital work of Kuchinate but also make a meaningful impact on the lives of those who are suffering. Together, we can provide much-needed assistance to the innocent victims during this challenging period. We would appreciate you sharing this email with friends and family, as we can use all of the support we need. Your generosity and compassion can bring hope and relief to those in need. We thank you for your continued support, and together, we can make a difference. *Please note that any purchases made now will be shipped after the war subsides and postal services resume. |
There are some really nice things there but you can also simply make a donation.
some places to support – Read Post »
blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv, poetry
Ronny Sommek
I Am the Severed Head You Do Not Know
My hair is more blond than the sand it rolls over
On my lips crowd words
sharp as the knife
that met my throat.
You who are mesmerized by my eyes,
put a chip on the wheel of fortune
that spins under the eyebrows.
Don’t ask my name and imagine my hands
hugging the body that was so beautiful
beneath my neck
and now cast upon the disgrace of the earth
as if it was no more than a banana peel.
The sun shone, the poet wrote,
and I am barely a model of darkness.
No more.
translated by karen alkalay-gut
blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv
Every time I open the faucet I think of the woman who can’t wash her hands, can’t cook, can’t drink. The news here today is that they have plenty of water for a few weeks, and that my imagination has been influenced by the news channels abroad who are in turn influenced by Hamas propaganda.
I don’t know who to believe, but I tend to go with the guys who are watching from here.
And suddenly I wonder why they never used our knowledge about creating desalination plants. It’s public, and there were certainly enough funds that were diverted into weapons. We’re still being bombed all the time and we have to wonder to what use that money could have been made.
If you think about it, water is the main problem in Gaza. desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne diseases; soil degradation; and depletion and contamination of underground water resources.
But many of these people are descendents of refugees from Palestine in ’48, and have been taught for generations that their only happiness lies in my destruction. Oh, how much easier it could have been, or could still be, if we could just talk to each other.
and solve the water problem between us.
blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv, poetry
Trying to Love
It’s arduous to think of others when you’re trying to survive,
to share bread with a stranger while your child weeps for food.
It’s arduous to think of others when you’re trying to survive,
It’s arduous to think of others when they threaten your life,
to stretch out your hand to a person while his hand holds a knife.
It’s arduous to think of others when they threaten your life,
My mind wants to write a poem that will teach me the way
My flesh wants to survive even it means others will die
My mind wants to write a poem that will teach me the way.
And I can’t write a punch line for this.