(no subject)
I hear that on Yom ha Shoah in Israel everything stands still for a full minute. I hear that people stop on the free way, get out of their cars. I hear that the taxis stop their honking, vendors their heckling, and politicians their bickering. I hear that for a single minute in the entire Israeli year, everything in Israel is calm, quiet, and peaceful.
and even though i'm living here, i couldnt tell you weather all this is true. i couldnt tell you becasue i spent today inside.
this morning i sat down between benny and issac. benny is my self-appointed guide to life in haifa, a fairly good english speaker who wants to make sure i know where the best bars, coffee shops, and date reastourants are. issac is another friend who says very little very quietly. we've become friends over our shared love of chess (i have yet to beat him, but i'm getting closer.)
i was doing pretty well today. i was fine as one person after another rose and read tribute to those 6 million that died senselessly. i even was alright as i rose and said a few words about what it was like gorwing up as a jew with the holocaust as such a dominant jewish identity maker.
where everything went downhill was when benny rose, and told his story.
benny lost his two sisters to mydonic, his brother and his father to pograms. they made him watch as they beat his brother to death.
as the siren wailed, everyone arose, everyone in this old age home. issac, who has considerable trouble walking, asked me to help him stand, and so for a minute, i supported this man, half my height, half my weight, who was one of schindlers jews.
afterwards, i had to leave. i couldnt bear the thought of these strong men seeing me cry. and i thought of my fear of not doing something imporant with my life this year.
i think now, this is all thats important.
and even though i'm living here, i couldnt tell you weather all this is true. i couldnt tell you becasue i spent today inside.
this morning i sat down between benny and issac. benny is my self-appointed guide to life in haifa, a fairly good english speaker who wants to make sure i know where the best bars, coffee shops, and date reastourants are. issac is another friend who says very little very quietly. we've become friends over our shared love of chess (i have yet to beat him, but i'm getting closer.)
i was doing pretty well today. i was fine as one person after another rose and read tribute to those 6 million that died senselessly. i even was alright as i rose and said a few words about what it was like gorwing up as a jew with the holocaust as such a dominant jewish identity maker.
where everything went downhill was when benny rose, and told his story.
benny lost his two sisters to mydonic, his brother and his father to pograms. they made him watch as they beat his brother to death.
as the siren wailed, everyone arose, everyone in this old age home. issac, who has considerable trouble walking, asked me to help him stand, and so for a minute, i supported this man, half my height, half my weight, who was one of schindlers jews.
afterwards, i had to leave. i couldnt bear the thought of these strong men seeing me cry. and i thought of my fear of not doing something imporant with my life this year.
i think now, this is all thats important.