Coming out from among the Berlin ruins to the luxury of a high scale mall in Tel-Aviv - only then composure sheds and pain pushes tears to my eyes.
The memory of the days in the shelter, the exit to the light and the sight of the saviors. All of a sudden our enemies are waving and throwing flowers at the Russian army.
"The Downfall." In Hebrew, "Hanefilla". Yet from the same root we have the "Han'fillim" - the huge immortals visiting us as they have fallen from above.
The Nazis aspired to be seen as N'fillim. They forced their way into so easily addicted minds of millions. Fallen they had, yet the seeds of and evil and mass induction are sprouting everywhere, as they themselves have been sprouted from earlier seeds.
As long as there is on the face of this planet even one single soul willing to sell itself to blind obedience, to regard Obedience as the Basic Law, above all human rights, as long as Obedience is not unmasked for what it is, the obliteration of the human spirit - then Tyranny will keep visiting us under its modern disguises.
As I walked among the well dressed people, passing past shops and huge modern buildings, a clearly named shiver groped my heart.
But tomorrow I'll be speaking at the Activism Festival, so here is something to look forward to - a glimpse of light.
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
Monday, June 6, 2005
When do you realize something was lacking?
Mostly, when it re-appears.
For instance, in Spring, when you organize your cupboard and move up the winter clothes - and there all of a sudden you see a long forgotten blouse, a letter, a hundred shekel bill.
What I'm finding nowadays, and has been long forgotten, is the re-appearance of Smiles.
It has taken only a few quiet months to bring those back to people's faces.
Like today, on the bus, the driver was asking people to get off at the rear door.
A senior lady rings the bell and comes to exit at the quite narrow front door.
The driver says, "Why from here, why not from the rear door?"
The lady answers, nonchalantly:
"So I could say Shalom (good-by) to you."
The driver and all of us laugh heartily. She gets off and leaves us her gift of smiles and good humour.
It took only a few months of quiet. Driver and passengers are no more tense with suppressed worry, Will we arrive home in one piece?
Sanity should be the norm. Is it now, can we be indeed content?
No.
As long as on the other side of this horrible Wall, a million and a half people of all ages are brought to lead insufferable anguish - we are still on the mouth of a volcano which might and will erupt upon us.
Our Spartan generals want us believe there is no option but endless war.
Can we overcome this brainwashing and build here a Culture of Peace and Equality for all and each human being?
I'll rather smile with a clean conscience.
For instance, in Spring, when you organize your cupboard and move up the winter clothes - and there all of a sudden you see a long forgotten blouse, a letter, a hundred shekel bill.
What I'm finding nowadays, and has been long forgotten, is the re-appearance of Smiles.
It has taken only a few quiet months to bring those back to people's faces.
Like today, on the bus, the driver was asking people to get off at the rear door.
A senior lady rings the bell and comes to exit at the quite narrow front door.
The driver says, "Why from here, why not from the rear door?"
The lady answers, nonchalantly:
"So I could say Shalom (good-by) to you."
The driver and all of us laugh heartily. She gets off and leaves us her gift of smiles and good humour.
It took only a few months of quiet. Driver and passengers are no more tense with suppressed worry, Will we arrive home in one piece?
Sanity should be the norm. Is it now, can we be indeed content?
No.
As long as on the other side of this horrible Wall, a million and a half people of all ages are brought to lead insufferable anguish - we are still on the mouth of a volcano which might and will erupt upon us.
Our Spartan generals want us believe there is no option but endless war.
Can we overcome this brainwashing and build here a Culture of Peace and Equality for all and each human being?
I'll rather smile with a clean conscience.
Sunday, June 5, 2005
On Gratitude
I love this medium - so much in apposition to my, mostly lyrical, prose. Direct, immediate, keeps me in touch with the outward world. Enables me in Commentary and Satire to react right away to the daily political and social upheaval and have an immediate impact on my community, instead of boiling inside helplessly.
People write to ask, "Do mention my work at your blog."
I say, Take the fishing rod. Start a blog of your own. The technique is as simple as a.b.c. The content makes all the difference. As long as you have something meaningful to say.
Most of the time they do open their own blogs.
Most of the time, most of them remember to express their thanks, online, and with a link to this blog, or to the Hebrew one, entitled: "Writer, Publisher, Trouble Maker".
To-day I had for lunch an impressive young lady. She's organizing my meetings with readers. The upcoming one is scheduled at the Festival of Activism (site in Hebrew), this coming Friday at 13:00.
Israel is brimming with people active in building a culture of peace. I feel grateful.
Still, the question nags, especially at this late hour: Do we stand a chance?
People write to ask, "Do mention my work at your blog."
I say, Take the fishing rod. Start a blog of your own. The technique is as simple as a.b.c. The content makes all the difference. As long as you have something meaningful to say.
Most of the time they do open their own blogs.
Most of the time, most of them remember to express their thanks, online, and with a link to this blog, or to the Hebrew one, entitled: "Writer, Publisher, Trouble Maker".
To-day I had for lunch an impressive young lady. She's organizing my meetings with readers. The upcoming one is scheduled at the Festival of Activism (site in Hebrew), this coming Friday at 13:00.
Israel is brimming with people active in building a culture of peace. I feel grateful.
Still, the question nags, especially at this late hour: Do we stand a chance?
Saturday, June 4, 2005
What a nice day was yesterday
And what made it so nice?
A tentatively new Flower Market. In a central garden in town, Flower Growers from around the country exhibited and sold their flowers and even some plants, at low prices. For a few weeks, on Fridays. I went there yesterday for the first time.
The garden was full of smiles, people of all ages, flowers with their multitude arrays of colors, and full of smiles was, still, the sun.
It seems that we are like people out of shelters, happy and grateful for the small joys of life. Or are we like the dancers on the Titanic?
Ayalon, the Army departing Commander in Chief, has some grim message for us.
To sum it all up in one sentence: "It's not Us, It's Them - we carry no responsibility."
Let's hope he'll never be a Prime Minister here.
One Ariel Sharon is more than enough, as far as I am concerned.
Concerned I am, indeed.
A tentatively new Flower Market. In a central garden in town, Flower Growers from around the country exhibited and sold their flowers and even some plants, at low prices. For a few weeks, on Fridays. I went there yesterday for the first time.
The garden was full of smiles, people of all ages, flowers with their multitude arrays of colors, and full of smiles was, still, the sun.
It seems that we are like people out of shelters, happy and grateful for the small joys of life. Or are we like the dancers on the Titanic?
Ayalon, the Army departing Commander in Chief, has some grim message for us.
To sum it all up in one sentence: "It's not Us, It's Them - we carry no responsibility."
Let's hope he'll never be a Prime Minister here.
One Ariel Sharon is more than enough, as far as I am concerned.
Concerned I am, indeed.
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