It seems that every time that I’m on my own, a siren follows me. Today I was waiting for my first reflexology treatment in the health clinic, and a siren begins to sound. We’re herded to the kitchen, the door is sealed, and we wait the required 10 minutes. Then I go to take off my shoes and socks for the massage.
It was very relaxing.
Therapy and Rockets – 16.12.24 Read Post »
Maybe had we not been so tired, from the day , and from the year, we would have enjoyed Mahler’s ninth symphony more. But we have been so surrounded by death this year, so tired of heroic funerals, so fearful of death to come, that Mahler’s absorption in his own coming death spoke less to us. The death of tonality as well, as much as I mourn it, is not as painful to me as the death of so many people. As much as the Gazans enjoyed inflicting pain and torturel on us, as much as the Hizbullah tried to torture us, I weep their deaths amost as much as I weep our own people – the elderly as much as the beautiful youths – rhose dead and those suffering in the tunnels of Gaza.
So we left while the audience was going wild in praise of the orchestra and the conductor, and went to visit the grandchildren whose lives have been turned upside down by the war, the uncertainty of their future, the fear that they might have saved themselves had they given up on the dream of living in peace…
It’s only become clear to me this week that my site is all mixed up and even these posts – if you can get to them – disappear after a while. This isn’t what I signed up for and I’ll try to put things in the old order (which was of course a mess).
Please excuse the mess. It isn’t a hack – it’s a change of order in word press.
mixed up site – 15.12.24 Read Post »
I wanted this to be a special birthday, and from all I had seen of the Blue Rooster before it was small, intimate, and special. But when we got there we were put into a large hall of diners, fortunately in a corner. “This is a birthday,” we whispered to the waiter, who nodded, understanding that it was our secret, but as we went on with our meal, we began to hear the birthday song sung by the waiters – table by table. We were almost the last table to be sung to.
Anyway it turns out the secret exclusive restaurant I had chosen with the exhaustive help of friends is really the standard saturday afternoon birthday spot.
The last time I ate there the dinner was exquisite, unique, intimate. Today was the opposite – but it made me feel as though we are part of a culture, beginning to recover from our isolation – maybe able to celebrate.
birthday Celebration – 14.12.24 Read Post »
Lord, this is barely to be believed!
This was once how things were,
You once were a nation,
You were once in charge:
You once had a land,
You once were in control!
Ach! How deeply this moves!
Oh, you little candlelights!
Your little histories
awaken my anguish:
It moves my heart so deeply
And with tears it asks itself:
What will happen now?…
translation by Karen Alkalay-Gut
אָ, איר קליינע ליכטעלעך
טעקסט: מ. ראָזענפֿעלד
אָ, איר קליינע ליכטעלעך
איר דערציילט געשיכטעלעך,
מעשהלעך אָן אַ צאָל.
איר דערציילט פֿון בלוטיקייט,
בריהשאַפֿט און מוטיקייט –
ווונדער פֿון אַמאָל.
ווען איך זע אייַך שמינקלענדיק,
קומט אַחלום פֿינקלענדיק,
רעדט אַן אַלטער טרוים:
“ייד, דו האָסט געקריגט אַ מאָל,
ייד, גו האָסט געזיגט אַמאָל”, –
גאָט, דאָס גלייבט זיך קוים !…
ס’איז בייַ דיר אַ טאָלק געווען,
ביסט אַ מאָל אַ פֿאָלק געווען,
האָסט אַ מאָל רעגירט :
האָסט אַ מאָל אַ לאַנד געהאַט,
האָסט אַ מאָל אַ האַנט געהאַט !” –
אך ! ווי טיף דאָס רירט !
אָ, איר קליינע ליכטעלעך !
אייַערע געשיכטעלעך
וועקן אויף מייַן פּייַן :
טיף אין האַרץ באַוועגט עס זיך
און מיט טרערן פֿרעגט עס זיך :
וואָס וועט איצטער זייַן ?…
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
prpare yourself for Hanuka – 14.12.24 Read Post »
Oh, come on, what do I know about the future? All I can tell you is what I was told today when we went to a meeting of our broker. He was terribly optimistic – noted that the market here is incredibly strong, that the shekel is second to the dollar, that we’re… well you know what an investment company would say….
But then the futurist came on to the stage and he had even bigger predictions – about the entire middle east, the connections with Saudi Arabia and so forth. Despite my irony as to the motivations and the methodology I was optimistic.
Then this evening we’ve been getting a rockets from Gaza and the doubts came back.
the future – 13.12.24 Read Post »
You may know about the Book of Judith and how it is associated with Hanukah.
My little protest about Hanukah is that this book was not included in the Bible, but left as an external text when it clearly speaks of the period of the Hasmoneans and therefore the time when the rebellion of the Macabees took place.
holofernes
they always do it
those jewish women
promise you everything
then cut off your head
wine and cheese
and all that teasing
and you can be sure
those jewish widows
know how to please
they always do it
those jewish women
cut off your head
and then celebrate
if only for the melody – you’ll love the celebration.
