israeli politics

Of course it was  patriotism that Samuel Johnson defined as ‘the last refuge of a scoundrel’ but there are cases when it is the prime minister’s office which is the last refuge,  where a person can escape prison…

The testimony today in the bribery case of our former and prospective prime minister may not lead him to prison, but it sure shows his disgusting values. 

The same trial is going on in the US about a former and prospective president.

When I was in my late teens I ran up against people like them – they always made my skin crawl in a way I will never forget.   

 

last refuge – july 6, 2022 Read Post »

israeli politics

I have friends who don’t go out after 10 in the morning and stay hidden until sunset, from Shvuot until Rosh HaShana.  To see them, I have to meet them for morning coffee.  They are wise, not wizened.  So I met a friend for coffee at the port this morning at 8:30.  No one else was up, but by the time I went back to my car, the ‘parliament,’ tables of retired men, filled the cafes there.  I have to say – these are the people who know how to live:  The ladies who hide from the hot and damaging sun and meet at sunset, and the men who meet together every day to analyze the situation of the world.  

morning coffee at the Port – July 5, 2022 Read Post »

israeli politics

We were having a very civilized panel about American music and poetry, but when I got asked what I think of Bob Dylan, I said he wasn’t much of a poet.  So the band asked me to read out “Blowin’ in the wind.” I found it on my phone and read it out.  It is my favorite activity, reading to music.

It was a good panel otherwise.  Happy Fourth of July!

beat poet and bob dylan – July 4, 2022 Read Post »

israeli politics

When I said I’d do a talk about the beats tonight, I thought I’d be reviewing years of lecture notes, but I found myself remembering how I grew up with the beats.  How I wore black in high school, and sunglasses whenever I could, how I read Ginsberg out loud, and clicked my fingers at good poems in coffee houses, and listened to folk music.

And then I remembered how Yair Lapid appeared at a poetry reading in honor of Rony Sommek a few years ago – wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses and playing the beat poet.  

What crazy stories I remember, and how irrelevant they are to the real experience of the Beat poets.


The Beats – July 4, 2022 Read Post »

israeli politics

When we first went to Serafina on Einstein Street, when it first opened, before COVID, we didn’t expect much.  We’d been to Serafina’s in New York and it was pretty average.  So the one in Tel Aviv was about par for the course.

But we went back a few months ago and were pleasantly surprised.  There was variety, the food was good, and so was the service.  I even dared to each fish.  And yesterday we went back and found it very good and quite expensive, with great service.  

The only problem is that now that we have introduced the children to expensive restaurants, they automatically go to the bottom of the menu, where the highest price item awaits them.

serafina – July 3, 2022 Read Post »

israeli politics

It’s a concept from Halacha – that the laws of Judaism can be broken if a life is at stake.  We got to see the premier of the play at the Cameri two days ago.  

it’s a remarkable play – but impossible to translate in detail.  Every sentence has a reference to religious literature, and it is ingenious.  But the plot is important to understanding some of the greatest conflicts of the society – the struggle between the religious life and the attempts to create an alternative culture.  

In this case it is the struggle of the only son in a religious family between studying torah and writing poetry.  There is so much poetry that develops from religious writings  that although the play seems to indicate that the worlds are incompatible, they enrich each other. They do, in fact, save each other.

 

saving lives – july 2, 2022 Read Post »

israeli politics

It was a shock for me to visit the supermarket today – on a Friday yet, when everyone is preparing for the sabbath.

I buy groceries online almost exclusively, ever since my back started going out.  In my younger days I would spend one morning a week at the shuk hacarmel,  but the publish-or-perish world took over and I shortened my shopping time by going to the local supermarket.  But that too passed.   

As the child of refugees it is terribly important for me to have a fully stocked pantry.  Ezi, on the other hand, believes that I should buy what we need for the day, so that everything is fresh.  It’s a nice thought, but I’m not capable of thinking that way, and although I shopped today for the week, I am already planning a list for next thursday. 

Now everyone know you should never shop on Friday.  But I had readings and lectures this week and had no time to really get it together, even online, and I cannot live without kale.  And my grocer doesn’t carry kale.  So we went to the supermarket.

Wow, all the shoppers were either men or frantic old ladies like me!  Most of the men were making quick calls to their wives for advice, but there were some who were absolute masters – especially of the automatic checkout counter.  Ezi, however, was determined to do the checkout on the app he had downloaded. 

And it didn’t work.

 

The Supermarket – July 1, 2022 Read Post »