Tel Aviv Diary January 8-12, 2016 - Karen Alkalay-Gut

Tel Aviv Diary - January 8, 2016 - Karen Alkalay-Gut

January 8, 2016

Went to Ramat Aviv G today around 2. There was a terrorist alert and the air was terribly dusty so there was no one there. It was just before they killed the terrorist - as we learned later - but I figure no terrorist would bother going out in that weather, especially when no one else is around. And then i realized I didn't even think of the terrorist as more than a nuisance. a terrible, horrifying thing but not something that changes the fact that Arabs are discriminated against out of fear, and so much has to be done in this country to make it one in which there is no fear or hate.

January 9, 2016

In the light of the requests I've been getting about how Jewish Israelis have been reacting to the fact that the terrorist was killed yesterday, I feel I have to respond. The thing is, although I have spoken to over 20 people today, I haven't heard a single response. It's over. There will be more troubles to deal with. Let's eat.

ًI have a new computer that is cheaper than the one i got 2 years ago, but will do until i reset the old one. the interesting thing about it is that i put in Arabic and am learning to write. why? i am really tired of not understanding what goes on from the other side. will i succeed? maybe not. but i really want to go back to my teacher a little smarter than i was before.

January 10, 2016

From what I can see Tel Aviv is back to normal. Uhm AlFahem, however, is empty. Jews haven't been visiting many of the Arab villages lately. It doesn't make sense, I guess, but people are more afraid now of the other than before this last attack. One would think they might be afraid to go to Dizengoff street, since the attack occurred there, but it works antithetically.

Which reminds me, I was on Dizengoff today. The only difference as far as crowds were concerned was that people drove more slowly when they passed the Simta bar, maybe out of respect, maybe curiosity.

January 11, 2016

Amazing how we incorporate criticism of this country into patriotism. We don't ignore criticism, but we fold it into our narrative. We saw this play tonight about a family whose PTSD son comes back to visit from Berlin with his German girlfriend. The holocaust survivor grandmother accepts her, and despite his hatred of the situation that ruined his life and seems endless, he makes peace with his family. It wasn't a great play, but it echoed our outlook.

January 12, 2016

Every few days Ezi checks Google Earth to make sure the bridge at Raqqa is still standing. I wrote about it once here as a symbol of how to make good things in hard times, how to work together. But now it is becoming our benchmark for the destruction of Syria.

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