October 16, 2019
We were blown away tonight by Brahms violin concerto - and his second symphony with Zubin Mehta and Gil Shaham.,The thrill and intimacy between the two was contagious, electric.
After the concert we picked up a couple grandchildren and came home to eat hotdogs and go to sleep. That's all for now kids.
October 17, 2019
while we made preparations to entertain guests - as part of all the extended holidays - we went off to jerusalem to sit in Michael Kagan's sukkah. it's all very exciting to meet with people with all different backgrounds and approaches to the holidays.
But while we sat in the sukkah we heard shots. Rachel and I looked at each other and whispers "gunshot" but no one else seemed to notice. our sukka- deflatable bubble.
Never mind. We can't stop anything so we might as well pretend we heard nothing.
October 178 2019
I know I don't have the right to speak about politics that doesn't really concern me or my country, but Turkey's slaughter of the Kurds does, and if we didn't learn anything when we interfere enough when the Christians were slaughtered in Sabra and Shatila, we must have learned that to keep quiet in as great a sin as to do help with the genocide.
October 19, 2019
Every day we meet with a different tribe of friends and/or family. last night we had our 40-year poet friends over and today we went to a housewarming and then our in-laws came over and I think we're all relatived out for the rest of the holiday. this will give me some time to catch up with my mail and there is a chance i can find out more about the political ending of Tevye the Dairyman. i have been hungering for time to read and write and now i'll have a quiet day to do it.
October 20, 2019
While some people were dancing circles around the Torah tonight we were walking around the beach. it was supposed to be in preparation for the 7 mile hike we're on Tuesday on the Israel Trail, but now i'm so sore i wonder if i'll be able to go at all. And that's what I deserve for ignoring religion and family and trying to get in shape, right?
Did I mention that I am to be awarded The Anna and Leib Rubinlicht Prize for Yiddish Literature this year? the prize will be awarded on December 25 at Beit Leyvik.
What can I say? i simply don't believe it has to be a language to be archeologically researched, or a museum-language like in ""Fiddler" that's fit only for the faraway past, or a cute tongue for dirty old men to curse with. It's much richer than i ever knew and new words are being coined daily to incorporate new realities.