i have been waiting up to hear the news – and then it came at 10 minutes to midnight and now I can’t sleep. Bibi has formed a government – meaning he has made enormous concessions to extremists. Because they have no faith in his promises, they managed to wait him out until the last minute and get concessions that will not only cost us in freedom, but also in taxes. What we have is 50% of the country maintaining 100% of the population. Good night.
We had the privilege of seeing the actors of the forthcoming updated version of Oedipus Rex talk about their roles and their performances. We’re only going to see the actual play in a few weeks, but this discussion and performance were enough to make me want to see every play the Cameri is putting on this year. There was something so invested in every person involved in the production that made me want to see every play they are doing this season. Great theater, great actors, and there are always English subtitles for the language-challenged.
cameri Theater – Dec 20, 2022 Read Post »
My grandmother was murdered in Stuthoff. Her daughters tried to cover for her when she couldn’t do the work she was assigned, but they took her away anyway, and she never left the infirmary.
Today the last employee they will probably ever catch was convicted. She was only a camp secretary and probably couldn’t have done anything about saving my grandmother, but I still hold her responsible.
my grandmother’s murder -dec 20, 2022 Read Post »
This is the last night – If Bibi doesn’t get this government signed and sealed tonight by tomorrow, the responsibility of setting up a government, the duty goes to another leader. But he’ll do it – or maybe the president will grant him another extension.
And if the president does grant him another extension, then the suspicion that they are in cahoots together will arise – the deal that there was an exchange of the presidency for a pardon.
My guess is that the government will be formed at the last minute – and we will wake up on the shortest day of the year to a fascist state.
the deal – dec 19, 2022 Read Post »
https://wildprayer.bandcamp.com/track/sweet
How sweet of you to notice
my agony my dear
How kind of you to inquire again.
We will leave it at that, of course.
Even I have my limit of pain.
This is one of the texts in Ronen Shapira’s latest album that includes my poems. Here it is sung by the scintillating Bracha Kol. To hear the whole album, go to
how sweet of you – dec 19, 22 Read Post »
the traffic jam before the game was incredible. Now the streets are totally silent. At half-time I ask you, why am I riveted to the TV? Maybe because no one will be talking about anything else tomorrow.
And then there will be nothing left to discuss. Politics is too terrible.
A few years ago Ronen Shapira recorded an album with my poems – three of the songs are sung by the fabulous Bracha Kol, and the others rasped by Ronen in his inimitable fashion.
Today he released the songs along with a melange of his compositions. Here’s one :
https://wildprayer.bandcamp.com/track/we-have-met-before
It’s the first song of “Love Bytes”
and here is the text:
LOVE BYTES
1.
We have
met before
you recall
that day
you felt
lava
from loins
to brain
to toes
for no
reason
That was me
music – dec 18, 2022 Read Post »
Tomorrow evening begins the holiday. Every night for 8 days.
It’s a holiday I always loved. Years ago I wrote a song for our group then, “Thin Lips,” and it went to “Panic Ensemble” at the end. It’s here.
Let me see if I can show it to you:<p>
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/_mICPObYjkg” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>
okay – it didn’t work – so if you didn’t press the link, here it is again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mICPObYjkg
There are lots of other versions of this song, but nowhere does it explain that the song is about the book of Judith, the apocryphal story that is associated with Hanuka, about a woman who beheads the villain and saves the nation.
So here is the text:
They always do it
those Jewish women
promise you everything
then take their revenge
Wine and cheese
and all that teasing
and you can be sure
those Jewish widows
know how to please
its never easy
with Jewish women
take over their town
they cut off your head
lighting candles
eating doughnuts
cut off your head
then celebrate
and complain
about the filthy Assyrian head
rolling across
their clean clean floors
