Where had it all started?

Here, of course...



Natalia, in a new post, debates on an old question with a young eye:



What is the common denominator to link Poland, Germany and Israel?

Unlike the Polish Vice-Minister, I do remember that one Bible is the book all three swear by.



Not that it helped much in the past.

Note that it might do so one day, at least in spirit.



Actually, I'm very happy that my writing is in Hebrew. I notice frequently how much it is influenced by the language of the Bible. Not word by word, as the Bible's Hebrew is much more elevated, compared with our modern one.

In spirit.



I believe it was T.S. Eliot who said that in poetry one word should do the job of ten.

My goal is much more ambitious, I would like, so it seems upon reading, to have one word do the job of a thousand.



Not that difficult, since there are not only many layers, but also those three-lettered verbs carrying a thousand associations, allusions, symbols.

A most sensual language, or so I experience it, so is my love for it.



A few years ago, at the Ledig writers colony in upper New York State, I expressed this pride of mine to some German colony-fellows and they couldn't agree less:

"German is the richest language!"



Well, I don't know much German, but I do know it is a language in which every word and every sentence competes with the others, which one is the longest...

Excuse me, this is not my idea of richness...

img src="http://timeintelaviv.blogspot.com/my engl signature.gif"/ align="left">

Are you the majority of first person singular?

Natalia, at her exquisite blog, quotes the words of one of her esteemed professors:



He said that now with the enlargement of Europe he believes, he wants to believe, that there will no longer be "Germans who harmed Polish", no longer "Russian guilt" no longer, no more. But there will be "European shame", that we will speak of "Europeans who harmed Europeans".



Do I agree with the professor?



The very notion of grouping people together brings members of societies again and again to the state where that their individuality is not called upon to take responsibility.



We had this rally last Saturday, under the slogan, "Harov Kovea'a!" - The Majority Counts(is the one to decide). But even if the settlers were the majority, I would still see their presence in the occupied territories as wrong.



A majority or a minority - all are groups of people who find it convenient to put their individuality at rest.



Evil does have a name, a first person name. I hope that one day we'll reach this stage of personal responsibility. Each member of a nation who co-operates or is silent when crimes are committed in the name of his nation - of himself/herself - is responsible. This applies to the past, to our present, and hopefully will be the norm in the days to come.

On Writing Literature

The only time I feel guilty is when a day had passed and I had not written.

Actually writing does not begin and does not end at this stage. It will be more correct to say that it never begins as it never ends, in dreams and while awake, while washing the dishes or watering the plants, during a movie or an evening at the theater - writing is like my Rome to which all the roads of my mind and heart lead to.

"Noffey Haneffesh" is my latest published book: Once She was a Child.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Read this in Polish;

All My Secrets

"Sodot" is my fourth book. In Hebrew it means, Secrets.

Overheard

Yesterday night, at the huge rally, with speaker after speaker calling,

"Sharon, get out of Gaza!"

I heard next to me a little girl asking loudly,

"What, Mom, Sharon is in Gaza?"