blog, my life in tel aviv

So many parents have had to return to work, including teachers who had been teaching on zoom.  And the children, who have been deprived of school, of friends, of clubs, are now home alone without parents.  I’m thrilled that people are going back to work, that the recently impoverished families may regain a modicum of normality.

But oh those lonely children – I am certain they will recover, and perhaps with more enthusiasm than ever when they return to their social environment.  But as a grandmother, my heart is breaking over every one of my seven grandchildren who are all suffering from various results of the covid virus.

From the oldest to the youngest, a lack of fulfillment, of completion

 

 

 

 

march 2, 2021 – lonely children Read Post »

israeli politics

There is no doubt that the world is divided now between the haves and have nots – and the gaps are growing.  Here, the poverty is great.    And of course, it is not only the poverty of today – but the future of each and every one is destroyed.  People who cannot afford to eat can’t afford to study, can’t afford to buy computers, to concentrate on any idea of a future.  

So I sincerely hope that the Israel Bonds that so many people have bought (see here )   actually reach these people and do not go into the pockets of our politicians.

When I was growing up I was enlisted for many years to help with the Bond drive, and I know that bonds helped build this country.  We all got great satisfaction from seeing the wonderful things that bonds helped to build.  I still have many charms she received for selling large quantities of bonds.  

Now, my husband chides, that money has gone to help out those businesses that haven’t been able to open for the past year.

What will happen to all of them now?

march 1, 2021 – where do donations go Read Post »

blog, my life in tel aviv,

Ezi has been going through the boxes of his family’s pictures – he’s never seen some of them.  Last week he discovered this photo – which I immediately grabbed and placed on my desk.  I can’t take my eyes off it and decided to share it with you.

Where is the embroidery from?  Who is this beautiful woman?  What is this jewelry?  It was customary for young women to dress up as Rebecca at the Well, but I can’t imagine what amazing photograph took this picture – It says on the back that the studio was in Jerusalem and the woman is a friend of Ezi’s grandmothers.  

This photo made the holiday for me.  

fenruary 28, 2021 – Purim – last shot Read Post »

israeli politics

We never really had a close private conversation, so I am not the absolute judge of his character.  And I really didn’t want to get into the subject of his second daughter’s book about her father’s abuse of her.  My own experience of parenting when I was a child was that physical violence was a legitimate means of punishment.  In one of the families who lived with us when I was a child ear pulling and twisting was common and not the most extreme.  Kids going to emergency because their shoulder was dislocated was also not unusual.  But that was then, and the parents were survivors of camps with numbers on their arms…  

I was probably ‘patched’ once or twice.  But I don’t remember because that wasn’t part of the atmosphere.  

For Galia Oz, that WAS part of her atmosphere.  I gather that as the middle child she had the standard behavior problems and was treated differently.  And I wouldn’t be surprised if she wanted to sleep at her parents’ home and her father roughly ejected her and sent her to her kibbutz home.  And it was probably too harsh, but not outside the norm of behavior for the kibbutz.  

It sounds like she interpreted his every move afterward as aggressive and violent, even when it was conciliatory and friendly.

But from her obvious enjoyment at all the attention she is getting at the unmasking of our literary hero, it is clear she also has another agenda than just clearing her conscience about her past.  

And she’s gotten more attention from me than I would have liked to give  

 

 

 

february 28, 2021 – amos oz z”l Read Post »

blog, israeli politics, my life in tel aviv

we’ve been getting an inordinate amount of variants lately – most likely from the people who were allowed special entry into the country even though the borders are, theoretically closed.  It has been said that the airport is the entry point for the new mutants.  And who are these people? those who have been given special permission because they will be voting for the parties of the right?  I don’t know how true this is.  But I know of a few people who can’t seem to get back home to Israel, and some of them are fearful that they won’t be able to return to vote.  It’s an interesting way to win an election.

february 27, 2021 – who will be let into the country to vote? Read Post »

blog, my life in tel aviv

we were going to meet the kids before the lockdown tonight at 8:30.  yesterday morning I bought chicken breasts to make for their dinner, something very unlike Ezi’s taste, but standard favorite fare for Ezi.  And Challahs.  And hamentaschen – something very unlike my taste – but standard fare for Purim.  And we made hummus and all kinds of salads.   And we planned for sushi take-out too, because our granddaughter has a big competition in artistic gymnastics tomorrow and she’s freaking out.  So now we’re stuck at home alone with no room in the fridge.

In a normal time, I would have invited a whole bunch of friends for a party instead – but no one can go out.  the kids are next door.  maybe we’ll just dump all the food on them.  

 

In the end they showed up for tea.  And we found a place in the freezer.  And of course, we talked politics.

 

 

february 26, 2021 – Purim Read Post »