portugiese finds are mixed and many

lisboa
april 2011

i have heard ...

i have heard ...
april 4th 2011

rührt mich an

rührt mich an
jede Ruhe
macht aus
zähem Klinker
festen harten Stein
jede Ruhe
ein Stein mehr

die Falten lachen sich starr

und Jeder tanzt
allein
im Funkenregen
der Stahlbrocken
im Hirn
schon Ruhe
Steinbäume
wiegen
nichts
wiegen
nichts
als den Wind des Traums

der Rührung

Kristalle leuchten wie Lava
in ihren Armen
ist es
nicht
nicht
beinahe heiß
nicht

rührt mich an
jede Ruhe
macht aus
Lava
auch Lava
Beton im Stillen

and more finds

central bus station, tel aviv
march 2011


lifta
march 2011


money from different streets
march 2011


überraschungsei, berlin
march 2011

more finds

in the water, tel aviv
march 2011


sheikh jerrah, east jerusalem
march 2011


esther hamalka, tel aviv
march 2011


silwan, east jerusalem
march 2011

finds

some street, tel aviv
march 2011


hilton beach, tel aviv
march 2011


sheikh jerrah, east jerusalem
march 2011


al rajaa' street, ramallah
march 2011


mea shearim, jerusalem
march 2011


jaffa road, jerusalem
march 2011


i can't remember where it was
march 2011


al shuhada street, hebron
march 2011

Three years later - Hebron. Or: How it is no longer orange.

Al-Shuhada Street. 2008.


Al-Shuhada Street. 2011.


"Liberation. Return. Rebuilding." 2008.


"Liberation. Return. Rebuilding." 2011.

Above the painting it is written:
ויש תקוה לאחריתך נאם יהוה ושבו בנים לגבולם
ירמיה 31:17
The children have returned to their own border.

A side note to translating לגבולם: Luther 1545: Und deine Nachkommen haben viel Gutes zu gewarten, spricht der HERR; denn deine Kinder sollen wieder in ihre Grenze kommen. // King James Version: And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border. / Jer 31:17

French versions (http://saintebible.com/jeremiah/31-17.htm):
Tes enfants reviendront dans leur territoire
et tes fils reviendront dans leurs confins.
et tes enfants retourneront en leurs quartiers.

German versions (http://bibeltext.com/jeremiah/31-17.htm):
die Kinder sollen heimkehren in ihr Gebiet!
und deine Kinder werden in ihr Gebiet zurückkehren.

English versions (http://bible.cc/jeremiah/31-17.htm):
Your children will return to their own land.
Your children will come again to their own land.
and your children shall come back to their own country.
And your children will return to their own territory.
and your children will come back to the land which is theirs.

גבול can be translated as: border (state, country), borderline, boundary, limit, frontier, line, margin, extreme, bounds
-ל can be translated as: to, toward, of, for, until, till, into

Google translate offers, when it comes to לגבולם:
come home
to their borders
their borders
have come home


How it is no longer orange

No change.
Yes change.

Egged at your service.
The sun was shining.

I doubt the sun paled the orange away.
No no.
The white of all.

The "Day of Rage".
That was that.

Home-border-line syndrome.

Buch / Care

nobody will know II
February 16th 2011

Through a gate I entered a park and looked at a statue. I asked a woman with strongly painted eyebrows and a light brown jacket (matching the colour of her dog's hair) if there was another exit, back to the train, she said there was not, I could only walk a circle and get back there, but would I not better be afraid as there was this man and he was watching me the whole time - I hadn't realized that this was the case - I said maybe I was not afraid and would have a look and thank you very much.

Ducks stood on melting ice. A lot of bridges. And leaves on the ground. The trees had names pinned into their skin. White paper. Sans Serif Italics. Little brook was wild.

No man came.

The woman, ten minutes later, outside the park, did not react to my smile of recognition. But she really cared. She was wearing a jacket matching the colour of her dog's hair.

That is care.

Safe train back. Until one tree fell on the rails. That was way inside.

Void III

Bear me a child
Bury your hand
deep in the mild
cleft of my sand

Sing of a sun
of dark shadows' age
of moving undone
of birds in a cage

Of wings close and
spread around a face
like a hand
circling a place

Bear me a child
your soul's gentle hand
I shall hold. Your wild
song it will free your land



Void I
January 3rd 2011


Void II
January 3rd 2011

Stories

Als (II)

als wir so lagen
im Graben
der Welten

und es schoss
durch den Wind
das Andere her

der Wind
und das Haus
und das Zittern
im Hier

als wir so lagen
im Graben
der Welten

die Winde
die wehten
die Welten
vorbei

als wir so lagen
im Graben
der Welten

dort
wo es dunkel
dort
wo es still
dort
wo es war

dort oben
im Graben
der Welten

da liegen
vielleicht
da lagen
vielleicht
die Lügen
vielleicht

der Liebe


Als (II)
Wir so lagen
January 22nd 2011

maze

maze
December 2010/January 2011

Man kann alles erzählen, nur nicht sein wirkliches Leben; - diese Unmöglichkeit ist es, was uns verurteilt zu bleiben, wie unsere Gefährten uns sehen und spiegeln, sie, die vorgeben, mich zu kennen, sie, die sich als meine Freunde bezeichnen und nimmer gestatten, daß ich mich wandle, und jedes Wunder (was ich nicht erzählen kann, das Unaussprechliche, was ich nicht beweisen kann) zuschanden machen - nur um sagen zu können:
"Ich kenne dich."

Max Frisch - Stiller

Burg-sight

I read something in Haaretz today. Which I like (like many articles they publish, seriously), not only like, deeply appreciate in many ways. Avraham Burg's latest book sure has interesting approaches, as does his article:

Marrying the Dalai Lama
Reaching out and accepting family members who are not of Jewish origin will greatly expand the boundaries of contemporary Jewish existence.
By Avraham Burg

The letters of the rabbis and the rabbis’ wives are arousing all the dormant Israeli demons. Although sometimes it seems as though the demons are already wearing down, they still have the power to frighten us and cause damage.

The first reaction is automatic and loud: Gevalt! Racists! The second reaction is also predictable: “What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor,” or how, in light of our own history, we are doing exactly the same things to others.

The next reaction is far more thoughtful and profound: Am I really prepared to marry someone who is not a member of the Jewish people?

I encountered the first part of the question several years ago. A smart, secular and enlightened friend told me: “Avrum, I agree with all your humanistic opinions, but I must admit that if my son brings home a non-Jewish woman, it will cause me heartache.”

“And if he brings home a Jewish man?” I asked.

After a long hesitation he replied frankly: “I prefer a gay Jewish man to a non-Jewish woman.” For him, as for many others, the key is the “Jew” within him rather than the loving person within his son.

I recently encountered the first part of the answer in a courageous and penetrating article published by Edgar Bronfman, former president of the World Jewish Congress, which included a call to reopen the tent of our father Abraham in all four directions. To contain among ourselves, to stretch out our hands and to adopt the family members who are not of Jewish origin, and they are many. Not to tear apart and exclude, but to greatly expand the boundaries of contemporary Jewish existence.

Fortunately I am already very happily married, but this question awaits me with my children. They travel all over the world, study and with open minds meet Christians and Muslims. Some of their best friends are Orthodox Jews. And like that same friend, I have reached the age at which I have to answer myself frankly, what will my viewpoint be if one of their partners isn’t Jewish?

My answer is very simple. For me the test is not their Judaism. The first and almost the only perspective by which I examine my children’s friends is whether or not they are good people. The Jewish consideration is not the first one.

These are my considerations only. I have no authority over my children’s lives. I speak to them, and that’s all, and in the conversation I always want their happiness. One of the foundations of family happiness is a life of partnership, and the secret of genuine partnership is a common value system.

So this is the time to ask what Judaism is. When people say Jew, what do they mean? In the eyes of those letter-writing rabbis and rabbis’ wives and all their simplistic and fanatic believers, Judaism is first and foremost a genetic description, a connection of blood and race of “anyone born to a Jewish mother.”

And therefore those very same people pile up so many difficulties, and try to deter the converts who want to join our community. In the eyes of Judaism it is a connection to content and commitments; a glorious civilization ‏(which is presently fighting for its life and its future‏), which is mainly a values-based, humanistic system, embracing all of humanity.

That is why a person’s origin is far less important to me than his core principles and his lifestyle. I divide all my worlds into the good and the bad. I totally reject the tacit assumption that all the Jews are on our side and all the gentiles are against us. There are wicked and terrible Jews, and there are good and righteous gentiles. And between them I prefer the latter, because of their goodness, and I despise the former, in spite of their Jewishness.

An eternal Israel will continue to exist and advance only if openness defeats seclusion, only if the Jewish people overcome the ignorant among them.

In order to understand the significance of the argument for everyday life you sometimes have to take the theory to absurd lengths.

Let’s say that one of my daughters were to introduce me to two possible sons-in-law: the Dalai Lama, whom she loves with all her heart and soul, or Rabbi Meir Kahane, whom she is willing to marry only because of his Jewish genetic origin.

And let’s also suppose that she were to say: Dad, choose for me. My choice would be clear and unequivocal: The Dalai Lama would become my son-in-law, beloved as a son and admired as a true partner in a way of life and principles of existence. Over the years and with patience I would work hard together with him to build bridges of understanding between the truth of his life and the foundations of our family. Together we would create a far broader family spirit than a narrow-minded Judaism of limited horizons. Even though the Tibetan priest does not speak Hebrew, he lives in the “Jewish language.”

On the other hand, if she chose Kahane or one of his successors, only because he is a Jew by origin and in spite of his disgusting language and base values, my world might fall apart.

I would probably pull myself together and do everything possible to be with her in any future she might have, but my heart would know and weep: She too is a racist.

(Haaretz-Link and Edgar Bronfman's article)