I have to admit I didn’t know anything about Sigd, the national holiday that wasn’t observed here today. For Ethiopian Jews it’s a major holiday about longing for Zion and I have no idea how a holiday so full of feeling, and declared a national day here since 2008 was never in my consciousness.
november 4, 2021 – sigd Read Post »
Israel has been functioning without a budget for the past couple of years, apparently in order to keep Bibi in charge. And now that he is not PM, he’s trying to keep the proposed budget from getting passed. What does it mean for us? that maybe we’ll have some order. and maybe there will be some order in the other communities as well. Everything is so upside down here – even the supermarket site that I’ve been using online for the past dozen years or so it turns out is favoring the ultra-religious, offering them prices that total more than a third less. And the ultra-religious schools and communities are said to receive more than double the funding, but it isn’t traceable because there is no budget. I’m praying the situation is equalized. I’m sure that most of the society – ultrareligious and not – would prefer an organized method of distributing funding.
The voting is tonight.
november 3, 2021 – budget Read Post »
what kept us from going to the Dead Sea? There is something so revitalizing, so relaxing, so pure about that sea. But we didn’t dare go until the corona numbers were down – and before the tourists arrived en masse. Tourism began yesterday so I thought we’d be safe. So today when Oren invited us down for the day, we drove down for two and a half hours, soaked in the saltwater, swam in the pool at the Vert Hotel, had lunch in their dining room, and drove home. Highly recommended but exhausting.
Oh, as for the visitors, we heard a lot of Russian, some Italian, a little Arabic and Hebrew. Everyone except Oren seemed to be over 60 – No, wait, there were a few girls who put the rest of us to shame in their tiny bathing suits. Some of the women could have made at least 20 outfits for the girls out of their own swimsuits…
november 2, 2021 – the Dead sea lives Read Post »
The Wall. The play we just saw – from the book by Dorit Rabinyan – is about a love affair in New York between an Israeli and a Palestinian that falls apart when they return to Israel and eventually the wall gets built that – in addition to their fading of the romance – keeps the lovers apart. It had all the right arguments but I kind of wish it ended differently.
And it doesn’t seem to me very strange for two people to fall in love – and even marry if they grow up in the Middle East. In fact, it is surprising it doesn’t happen moree frequently.
november 1, 2021 – living fence Read Post »
Today is the day we’re letting in tourists for the first time in a long long time. This means Ezi and I have to start being more careful than we’ve been in recent months. No matter how strict the rules are, there is going to be a rise in the numbers.
Nevertheless, my need for a change of scenery and a rest from the intensive work involved in leading the IAWE , supervising doctorates, running a household, etc. is absolutely necessary. We have already taken a leave of absence from this year’s Israel Trail because this year is all about climbing the hills around Jerusalem.
But I think what we need is a good play this evening and a little visit to the Dead Sea tomorrow.
Some people here think that traveling abroad is the most important thing they need for their sanity. It’s a great idea, but we can live well with the relative safety of being tourists in our own land.
november 1, 2021 – tourists! Read Post »
The first thing to do when someone threatens a public servant is to protect him/her. Quietly, without raising the profile of the person or the idea. Then, without words, find out where that threat is coming from and stop it. Stop the entire community from where the threats are coming.
october 31, 2021 – war of words Read Post »
It was not a sight I’d ever seen before – children going from house to house with orange pails that had “Halloween” written on them. I don’t know what to make of it. What could it possibly mean?
And I couldn’t help but notice that the children were very overweight. Is it simply sugar worship?
october 30, 2021 – Halloween in the holy land Read Post »
Despite all the confusion of identity that is Jaffa, despite all the naming of Arab streets after Rabbis, despite the incredible mix of cultures, there is something about Jaffa that remains eternal.
This was taken from my nephew’s balcony the other night. It was his birthday party and the people we hadn’t seen for a long time seemed as if they had aged. So much has happened in the past years, so much pain, so much pleasure, and Yaffo remains the same.
october 30, 2021 – Jaffa Read Post »
