Yesterday I visited Orit in a nice village in the Jerusalem Hills. Today I read about it the Times:
Well, at least about the place.
Yes, we visited the meditation dome, and went through the sleepy town, and loved it. But I didn’t get why Orit was so happy being there – until I scanned the article. Check it out.
Neve Shalom – Oct 6, 2023 Read Post »
Finally finished the program for Monday night – a little Hebrew, a little Arabic, a little Yiddish, good English, wine. Beit Hasopher was a high respected place when I read there 45 years ago, but is slated for destruction and its former glory is barely visible. So when you come to Kaplan 6 at 7:30, don’t expect too much. But when you go in, the poetry and music are magical.
Oh, and if you have a magnifying glass, you can see my picture in Haaretz gallery.
the show on monday – Read Post »
This is not an important post.
Today I met 2 country dogs. The female seemed aggressive at first and wouldn’t stop barking at me, but immediately fell under the spell of my magic ear-rub, and I could see that if she was a person she’d be the famous farmer’s daughter. The male was her wise, lazy father – the one who has all the answers and just waits for the city slicker to fall into his trap.
When we got back we were given the city dog to take care of. Nervous, suspicious, fun-loving, instinctively comprehending all situations, but not caring.
Told you it was not an important post.
country dogs, city dogs – Read Post »
To escape the tension of Tel Aviv, Orit and her family went to Neve Shalom for a few days, and the sense of relaxation is palpable. We met first at Ish Lechem, a cafe in Taoz, for me the middle of nowhere, and baked goods were amazing. It also has a wonderful view – in the hills of Jerusalem. Even though this is the beginning of the end of a dry season, everything is beautiful. And you don’t know how tense you are until you begin to relax.
Oh, and here is the link for Ish Lechem (bread man) https://easy.co.il/en/page/26605794 https://easy.co.il/en/page/26605794
ishlechem – Oct 5, 2023 Read Post »
Everyone here has a different definition of what democracy is. For me, it’s rule by an educated democracy that takes the needs of the entire population into consideration. There aren’t many countries that ever fulfilled the definition, but right now the very concept is in danger, and I don’t know what will be achieved by uniting with Hungary and Poland and maybe France and Germany and the US to preserve democracy – but it’s a nice idea.
How do you create a great society? Teach all the children how to contribute as they grow up – to learn what happens in the society, how they can fit in, and how they contribute.
Sadly, we stopped doing that a while ago – without an equal and generous system of education that emphasizes the interrelationship of individuals, we can’t have good, responsible teachers. I must admit that when I first started teaching here, I was impressed by the sense of purpose my colleagues all had. I don’t feel that any more.
Responsible Education Read Post »
Next week I’m having an event at the Writers’ House. Oct 9, 2023. Why is this night different from other events I’ve had? 1. It’s celebrating a new book – one that I have learned to respect more and more. 2. It’s in a building that I fell in love with when I first came to Israel – a home for writers. I used to appear there every few months for years, celebrated weddings of friends, and spent every friday afternoon in the cafe. That was all before it lost its status and its money. In the past few years it has been rescued by group of writers who are also businessmen and now the building will be torn down and rebuilt. So I will be saying farewell to a major part of my love of this country – the part that was literary, socialist, corrupt and yet idealistic. 3. I’m going to be surrounded by good friends – what can go wrong?
so 7:30 p.m. kaplan 6, tel aviv
oct 2, 2023 – my evening next week Read Post »
This is one of those days when I’m staying home and catching up. And boy is there a lot to do. There are journals of the IAWE to send out, forms to fill out I never got to that are catching up with me, floors to wash, an evening to plan, a zoom to plan, and lots of medical papers to organize. Which doctor on what day and with which papers.
And poor Kurt Gerron is getting neglected. I’m trying to get all his 97 films and watch them, to get the sense of his touch of the situation in Germany in 1933. That’s the thing that’s most important. Why didn’t he leave like all his friends? How did he lose touch with reality?
homework – Oct 2, 2023 Read Post »
