May 22, 2015
erev hag - for me that usually means cooking. today is no exception.
But today the article on Anna Margolin came out in Hebrew.
her grave has the yiddish poem she instructed to be placed on it
She, with cold marble breasts and with small bright hands
i don't know why haaretz chose to publish this piece today, the evening of the shvuot holiday, when we should be thinking of the idea of fruitfulness and enlightenment, when this article is all about the corruption of both. But it was one of the hardest pieces I ever wrote. Emotionally. Not only because of the subject, and all the other people involved in this story, but the language was hard for me, and reading Yiddish handwriting is still a strain. And the whole idea of Shvuot, and the importance of the words in stone, gained a different perspective for me.
May 23, 2015 Among the people who called me today about Anna Margolin was Rivka Bassman, whose poetry and whose character I love deeply. While we were talking I recalled the yiddish poet Mane Leib, and Rivke told me that she remembered clearly something he said. That suddenly he saw everything clearly, and at that moment everything turned dark."'siz mir gevoren finster in eigen."
May 24, 2015 Too much partying, too much cheese. In the morning yesterday we went to see one set of friends, and in the evening another group of friends. no politics. it breaks our heart too much to bear. Today will be taken up with recovery and homework. By the time we got to the pool, it turned out that we had 15 minutes to swim before closing. Naturally lazy i decided to spend 10 minutes in the pool and my last 5 minutes in one of the two jacuzzis there. Both were almost full. One had three men and four women, and the other had seven young men. The women were speaking loudly in English about the lack of manners of the Israelis and all the men were looking straight ahead, so I decided to go for the jacuzzi with the men. We all looked straight ahead. At the end of the five minutes the jacuzzi was turned off and we all were herded out. That was when I realized I was with 7 very very tall, handsome, Arab men. Maybe that was why everyone was silent in the jacuzzi. But guess what - I almost understood their conversation as they were leaving. I know, I'm just another impolite Israeli, but I am overwhelmed with joy at being able to eavesdrop. May 26, 2015 Yesterday got erased. both on the computer and in my memory. How does one live with a dangerous leadership? it is not enough to cultivate your own garden when the earth is shaking under your feet.
So although i do things, i feel helpless.
Wasted her beauty on garbage, on nothing
Perhaps she desired, perhaps just allowed sadness,
the seven knives of pain,
And spilled the sacredness of life’s wine
On garbage, on nothing.
Now she lies with shattered visage.
The disgraced spirit has abandoned the cage.
Passerby. Have pity and be still.
Say nothing.