January 2, 2018
A terrible play tonight. wonderful actors, costumes, dancing, singing - but the play "The Rebels" was to me the most clear sign that the right wing has taken over the theater. Because of Ezi's leg we sat in the first row, next to one guy muttering that the speeches of the Lechi are identical to the speeched of the Palestinians.
And such a long play at that!
We went home and wiped out the memory of how such wonderful actors were wasted and how awful I would feel if I bombed in a play like that - with the last show in the Australian series of "A Place To Call Home." This is a really different concept of series because it is shmaltz all the way and real comfort viewing.
Makes a new day possible.
January 3, 2018
Debating the death penalty. I have always been repulsed by the thought that one person has the right to take another - on the personal and judicial level. so the discussion today about death to terrorists petrifies me. that we would be considering it is a sign of a degradation I could never have imagined. i know it would be cheaper and better bargaining not to take prisoners, but i'd much rather erase the reasons for terrorism before I think about punishing them with death. In general I would The 16 year old girl being charged with a multitude of crimes should be tried and punished if she is guilty, but at the same time she should be pointed in a positive direction, so she can help her community, be a more positive person.
We're beginning to do this kind of thing in the army in which deserters get rehabilitated because they are usually from troubled backgrounds and otherwise continue in a life of crime. let's see how well that program works.
how awful today - i invited a whole bunch of friends to my reading and saw only one or two in the audience. later i discovered to my shame that they had been charged money by the university at the door, and left in a huff. i would never have advertised a free reading had i known. Apologies to you if you came and left.
And who got the money?
January 3, 2018
Haven't found a single soul who will defend this government.
Have you ever heard stories of Agnon read in Yiddish by an 88 year old actress from Lodz?
Leah Koenig. I think she would have wanted to stay on stage past the hour and a quarter of her performance, but the director handed her off the stage. every minute was dramatic, exciting, funny, engaging. and the audience wanted to stay with her forever.
January 4, 2018
The storm came around 4 in the morning. it woke me with its force but i didn't look at the clock. So we watched Fauda. The first show of the second season. maybe i was sleepy or out of focus because of the storm but it was too confusing and violent for me, and not that new. i will have to watch it again to make sure.
But my battle against the storm today was also violent and confusing. i went out shopping right after gym and the wind blew out my umbrella, but that wasn't my problem. it was the first cold rainy day of the year and i wore my winter boots that i hadn't had a chance to wear for 2 years. and as i walked out of my car to get to my second errand, the boots fell apart. i was flopping around with open soles so i had to go home and change my socks and find another pair of boots. The second time out I decided to wait for a lull in the storm, and suddenly there it was, the sun. I raced out but by the time i got to the toy store the storm was back. Friday afternoon everything is closed. Got to get everything done before the sabbath. by 3. Suddenly i saw Arieh Deri in my minds eye, working against time and ethics to ensure that the law is passed so that the goyim will not be able to buy their pork on the sabbath. I'm so exhausted I am going to greet the sabbath from my bed.
January 6, 2018
Right. If I have a chance to be with kids, grandchildren, step-children, step-grandchildren, in-laws, step-in-laws, I can't refuse. This time we all met in Cafe Landwer, a kind of mid-range place on King George, which had room for all of us because it was a stormy night and when we left at 10 they shut down. They didn't expect anyone, but there were all kinds of orphans there along with us. Our wonderful relatives from Barcelona were with us and not everyone spoke Hebrew so there was a lot of translating and catching up. Today too the day day was filled with different sets of family at our place, and instead of being exhausted I'm wide awake and ready to go over the last drafts of my hebrew/yiddish book one more time. Sometime relatives tire you and sometimes they wake you up.
The weekly demonstration on Saturday night is in full swing according to the news. Of course we have some family there, and other family who like us are prevented from attending - some from illness, some from age, and some from common everyday narcissism.
Don't forget to check my activity page. Readings have been every week.
And if you like Amichai,here is a trove.
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