Karen Alkalay-Gut
December 17, 2018
how do you know what is under your house? in Metula at least it could be a bunch of soldiers coming to kill you. Its like the nightmare of my childhood when i was never certain that the Nazis would not return and finish off what was left. When I read that Nasrallah had said over a decade ago that it was good that the Jews had gathered together because now they wouldn't have to be hunted out to be killed, i remembered that moment of terror.
we met with a Khadi tonight, in the big mosque at Jaffa, the third largest mosque in the country. he explained a great deal about the
religion and about the situation of Islam in Israel. some of his facts clashed with mine but it was so very impressive.
December 19, 2018
i know i wrote something before. could it be i didn't save it? could it be i'm screwing up my computer again?
a minyan of poets read today in our living room - all of them good and all filmed by Ezi and Anam. we'll be putting the filming on line soon. i'm always amazed that there are so many good writers in this country and no one knows about them. last night we were at the launch of a book by Larry Friefeld - quite amazing. he's a good writer as well but there is almost no audience - especially for poets my age. and people need to hear what some of these poets have to say.
In the past few years, as Christmas approaches, I've been noticing that it's beginning to appear all over Israel. not the religious part, but the celebratory elements - the tree, Santa, presents, etc. Here's the tree in Jaffa.
December 20, 2018
most of tel aviv has wireless, but who would have thought that we could wait for our granddaughter's swimming class on the roof of Dizengoff Center and watch a movie at the same time? not that i could keep my eyes off the teacher - i've never seen such an empathic and successful swimming teacher in my life. and although i didn't tell her that i too taught swimming as a camp counselor for a number of years. from what i could see she spent much of the time listening to her pupil, and yet the kid is blowing bubbles in deep water and swimming pool lengths in her second half hour lesson.
And we're sitting at the top of the middle of tel aviv and watching the rain coming down all around us through the glass, and feeling like this is the bubble of the Bubble.
not that we're not aware of the fragility of this bubble. the US pulls out of Syria leaving us alone to face the Syrians with the massive weapons Russia has been supplying them. it's like - the end is near.
but for the moment we're at the top of the city.
December 21, 2018
Google got hacked today. and in my gmail there was a letter promising to distribute videos of my erotic hijinks if i don't send a bitcoin ransom. videos. it's almost worth sending the money for the videos. who should i be reporting to?
it definitely put a damper on my dinner.
to diary