To friends and family near and far, blessings of health and happiness for the Jewish New Year. Shana Tova!
(Pictured: a pomegranate from our tree)
Friday, September 15, 2023
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
"Deep Sleep" - short story
Pete was having problems sleeping at night. Insomnia ruled as he
tossed and turned, his mind rehashing the day’s troubles. Endless traffic jams.
Pressures in the office. The demands of his boss. The nasty looks and biting
comments of his wife. The unpaid bills, the unfiled tax returns, the threats of
his mother-in-law to visit.
Night after night, Pete couldn’t get the sleep he needed. He rolled
back and forth, thrashing out unintentionally at his wife, interrupting her
dreams and recoiling from her sharp elbowed jabs in his ribs.
She was sympathetic to his predicament, up to a point. “See a doctor,”
she insisted. “He’ll write you a prescription for something.”
“I don’t want to get addicted to sleeping pills!”
Pete was willing to try anything, except for pills. He went for late
night jogs; drank a glass of red wine before bedtime. He avoided his cell phone
and instead read until his eyes were blurry. He listened to meditation tracks,
to whales, to waves hitting the shore. His mind numbed but nothing worked. He
still couldn’t sleep.
In the mornings he rolled out of bed red-eyed and struggled to his
feet. Splitting headaches and aching muscles followed him to the bathroom. A
cold shower did little to cleanse him of the night’s struggles. One cup of
coffee, and then another one. Nothing could refresh him for the demands of the new
day.
“Take care of yourself!” his wife demanded, offering no suggestions
what he should try next.
“Maybe we need a new mattress,” he said.
Read the rest of the story in Meat For Tea - The Valley Review. Volume 17, Issue 3, Page 9.
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Review of 'From Southerner to Settler' by Susannah Schild
Schild has
just published her first book - From Southerner to Settler: Unexpected Lessons from the Land of Israel (June 2023). The book is not a hiking
guide, but rather the story of Schild's aliyah and her love for family, Judaism,
and Israel. With a strong emphasis on nature, the book also relates the origins
of Hiking the Holyland.
The author left her home in New Orleans and moved to Israel with her husband and two small children in 2003. "We were here," she writes. "We had made it. We were home. In the place where we had vowed we would raise our children and live out our future."
Looking for a place where they could live as religious Jews, the family first settled in Ramat Beit Shemesh, but it didn't go well. Confronted with Ultra-Orthodox extremism, they left and found a warmer welcome in Neve Daniel, south of Jerusalem. In the Gush Etzion community they built their house, from the ground up, and planted a garden, something the author says gave her "a deep love for the land."
"The
move to Israel was entirely worth every sacrifice that was required," she
relates. "We were living the Jewish dream, quite literally. A people
united as a family and a nation in the Holy Land."
Religious
Judaism plays an integral, indispensable role in Schild's life, and this is
repeatedly emphasized in the book. This may seem excessive to secular readers,
but one can respect the openness and honesty with which she shares her
convictions and faith. For the author, "the living Torah is here for all
to experience, especially our children. This is what it's really like to live
as a religious Jew in our homeland."
In these
troubled times in Israel, the author focuses on the positive. She wonders if
she can succeed in presenting to her family "the beauty of Israel, the
inspiration, the camaraderie of the Jewish people, and the feeling of being at
home, all bound up together and served on a silver platter."
For the author, hiking is much more than a way to enjoy the nice weather and nature. It is "an opportunity to really to get to know Israel, the physical land of our forefathers and to understand its hidden messages … a deeper understanding of our Torah, our most precious treasure."
Schild shares not only her love for hiking, but so much more. One respects her world of faith, optimism, and love for the land, as told in this very readable, personal tale of her journey from the American south to Gush Etzion.
Susannah Schild, born and raised in New Orleans, moved to Israel in 2003 with her husband and two small kids. Many years and a few children later, she discovered the quiet and inner peace that comes from being in nature. She is a The Timesof Israel blogger and lives right outside of Jerusalem in Gush Etzion. From Southerner to Settler is her first book.
Originally posted on The Times of Israel.
Tuesday, August 29, 2023
Review of 'The Rebel's Niece' by Shimon Avish
This is the dilemma facing the protagonists of The Rebel's
Niece by Shimon Avish (MarbleStone Press, August 2023), the second of
the author's novels about significant events in ancient Jewish history.
This fictional account of the traumatic years of the Roman conquest
puts you straight into the action from the very first page. Sarah, a mother of
two and niece of the messianic rebel leader Yochanan, flees her Galilean
village along with her husband, Jacob, ahead of the Roman invasion. She begins
to question Yochanan's leadership when he sends many of the villagers to
certain death and forges ahead to Jerusalem, supposedly following God's instructions.
The
family sets up their tent in the Temple, knowing that the Romans are getting
closer every day. But along with preparations for the ultimate battle, Yochanan
clashes with the other resistance leaders. Why were the Jews fighting each other instead of saving themselves to fight the
Romans? Sarah wonders. The novel offers no clear-cut answer.
The Rebel's Niece devotes much attention
to the daily lives of its protagonists. Sarah and the other women are more concerned
with sleeping arrangements, babysitting, and meal
times than with the looming destruction.
Still,
the battles described in the book are bloody and assumedly historically accurate,
based on the author's exhaustive research. The construction of the siege engines,
the pounding of the battering rams, and the breaching
of the city's walls are very clearly and colorfully depicted.
What is most surprising to learn is that the Romans were not
invincible. The Jews were equal in battle, if not in numbers. Perhaps if
there hadn't been so much infighting and baseless hatred, Jerusalem would not
have been conquered and the Second Temple would not have been destroyed. When the
city fell, the Jews lost their holiest site but many would survive to fight
another day. The author's previous novel was aptly titled Masada: Thou Shalt Not Kill.
Overall, The Rebel's Niece is a compelling, thrilling
account of one of the most significant events in ancient Jewish history. The
author promises three more novels in the series and readers can look forward to
realistic accounts of those events as well.
Shimon Avish, a
former soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces and a founder of a kibbutz in
southern Israel, writes about significant events in ancient Jewish history. His
work draws on his adventures in soldiering, farming, product design, cabinet
making, political science, international business consulting, and living in the
U.S., Canada, and Israel. He completed his doctoral degree in political science
at Columbia University and was a Fulbright-Hays Fellow.
Originally posted on The Times of Israel.
Related story:
Review of ‘Masada: Thou Shalt Not Kill’ by Shimon Avish
Saturday, August 26, 2023
"The Tiger" - short story
“There’s
a tiger in the playground!”
“That’s
nice, Shmuel.”
“No
really, Imma. It was coming toward me, but I didn’t run. I wasn’t scared at
all!”
“That
sounds very exciting! You’re so brave! Now, go wash up and call your brothers.
It’s almost time for Havdalah.”
The
tiger was like an enormous cat wearing a mask. A colorful Purim mask. Amber
eyes stared at him as the large animal swayed back and forth with feline grace,
its tail whisking in its wake. Its ears stood at attention; its paws were huge.
Shmuel couldn’t see, but he could imagine, the beast’s razor-sharp teeth, and
the thin white whiskers under its triangular pink nose. Such a pretty face!
The
tiger crept past the swings and skirted the slide, slowly approaching. Shmuel
stood half hidden by the jungle gym. No one else was around to witness this
magnificent creature’s passage across the silent playground. He was by himself,
but he was not afraid. He was curious, nothing more than that!
“Shmuel
has such an imagination,” Shmuel’s mother said to Shmuel’s father when he
returned from shul.
“He
should put his imagination aside and concentrate on his studies.”
“He’s
just a boy.”
“Boys
should be studying. Instead, he ran off to the park to play with his friends. Where
are the children? We want to start.”
The
tiger had vertical stripes, just like the stripes on his pajamas. Just like the
stripes on Yermi’s pajamas, and on Moshe’s pajamas. They all had matching
striped pajamas, but their stripes were blue and white. The tiger’s stripes
were flaming orange and coal black. The stripes on its belly were white and
black, but those were harder to see in the twilight.
What
would it be like to stand next to the tiger, to touch its fur? Would it be
soft? Rough? Would the animal run away from him like the wild cats outside his
building that fled at his approach? What would the tiger do?
Shmuel’s
father set the spice box on the Havdalah tray. He picked it up and lit the
braided candle, and handed it to Shmuel's older sister. He filled the wine
goblet to the brim, lifted it, and cupped it in his right hand. And then he
began to sing.
Shmuel
closed his eyes when he was offered the aromatic spices. He sniffed, maybe
louder than he should, then opened his eyes as he passed the spice box to
Yermi. A thought crossed his mind. What did the tiger smell like? Did it have
an unpleasant odor or did it smell like a dog? Maybe a wet dog. Or a cow? Shmuel
had once petted a calf and a small lamb, and baby rabbits, too. Did the tiger
smell like them, or did wild animals have their own scent?
“Shmuel,
pay attention,” his mother whispered.
Her
voice was not angry, and he couldn’t help but smile at her. What would she
think if she saw the tiger? He was sure Yermi and Moshe would run away,
frightened, but maybe his sister wouldn’t fear the large animal, just like him.
Would he see the tiger tomorrow? Maybe it would be in the playground again when
he went to school!
As
his father poured the wine onto the tray and extinguished the flame, Shmuel
remembered the tiger glancing at him one last time before slinking into the
darkness. And then it was gone, leaving no trace of its having crossed the
playground.
“Shavua
tov!” his father said, before launching into a medley of Psalms to mark the
end of the holy Shabbat and the start of the new week.
Later,
after eating a light Melaveh Malkah meal, it was time for bed. Shmuel got into
his pajamas, the very same striped pajamas he had thought about when he saw the
tiger in the playground. He brushed his teeth, climbed into bed, and laughed at
something Yermi said. Moshe lay down in his crib, and his mother tucked them all
in. And then his father came into the room and hugged each of them in turn. The
three boys recited the Shema together, and the light was switched off.
“Pleasant
dreams,” Shmuel’s mother whispered. And to Shmuel, she added, “Don’t worry, no
tigers will come.”
“I’m
not worried, Imma!”
“That’s
right. You’re so brave!”
When
she came into the dining room, her husband had already returned to his Saturday
night studies. She regarded him silently, loving him more every time he stroked
his beard, every time he nodded, every time he adjusted his kippa. She moved a
chair into its place, but he didn’t look up.
“I’m
turning on the radio to see if anything happened over Shabbat.”
“What
could possibly happen? There’s only politics and security issues in this
country.”
“Shh!”
she said. The news broadcast had already begun.
“Jerusalem
District Police commander Moshe Barzani said this is the first time anything
like this has happened at the Biblical Zoo,” the announcer said. And then
Barzani’s voice could be heard. “Security forces and police are on the streets
in nearby neighborhoods, conducting an intensive search for the tiger that
escaped from the zoo earlier this evening.” The announcer broke in to state
that Barzani assured the public that they would soon catch the tiger. “And now,
on to other news,” he continued in his calm, reassuring voice.
Shmuel’s
mother looked up at her husband, but he hadn’t been paying attention to the
radio. Instead, he was rocking back and forth, concentrating on the holy texts.
She didn’t want to interrupt him. She would tell him later.
She
went to her sons’ room and looked in. Like his younger brothers, Shmuel was
fast asleep, lost in his dreams. She pulled up his blanket and kissed him on
his forehead. He didn’t wake up.
Originally published on JewTh!nk
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Review of Iddo Gefen’s ‘Mrs. Lilienblum’s Cloud Factory’
This
talented author has outdone himself with his debut novel, Mrs.
Lilienblum's Cloud Factory (Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir, July 2023). The
book is due to be published by Astra House in 2024, but I couldn't wait for the
English edition and just finished reading it in its original Hebrew.
The
book opens with Sarai Lilienblum sitting in the middle of the Big Crater in
Israel's south, wearing a Bordeaux bathrobe and drinking a martini. She had
been missing for days and no one in her family knew where she was, or how she
got to the crater. And Sarai isn't explaining anything.
We
soon learn about Sarai's latest invention, a machine that can manufacture
clouds and intense rainfall and possibly solve the climate crisis. That
possibility depends not only on the interactions between Sarai and her family,
but on the very nature of Israel's startup culture.
The
novel is very witty, with fully developed characters and an amazing plot.
"When
you read Gefen’s stories," I wrote in my review of Jerusalem Beach,
"with their diverse characters, and cross-genre themes of memories and
dreams, you never know what you’re going to get. But one thing you do know.
Each story is going to be very enjoyable to read."
The
same is true for Mrs. Lilienblum's Cloud Factory, a tour de force
by a very talented author whose mark on the Israeli literary scene is just getting
started. The book is a pleasure to read and highly recommended.
Iddo Gefen is an
author and neurocognitive researcher at the Virtual and Augmented Reality Lab
at the Sagol Brain Institute. He leads an innovative study to diagnose aspects
of Parkinson’s disease using storytelling and augmented reality. Jerusalem
Beach, his first book, received the Israeli Minister of Culture’s Award in
2017, and the 2023 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature.
Originally posted on The Times of Israel.
Related articles:
‘Jerusalem Beach’ by Iddo Gefen Is Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature Finalist
Review of ‘Jerusalem Beach’ by Iddo Gefen
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
"The Volcano" - short story
“You need to come home. Now.”
“I hear you,” I reply, holding the phone at a distance. Maya’s voice
comes across the line at a higher decibel level than usual. “Are you sure
you’re feeling contractions?”
“Daniel!” It is nearly a shout. “I know what this is and I know
that you have to be on the next flight.”
“Alright,” I say, wondering if this isn’t another case of false
labor, like the symptoms that sent us to the hospital prematurely just two weeks
ago. “I will order my ticket for tonight.”
“I don’t know if I can last that long!”
It is early afternoon so there’s plenty of time to make a
reservation. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be an empty seat on
the plane. Not many people fly from Sofia to Tel Aviv in the middle of the
week.
After ending the conversation with an ‘I love you’ on her side and
an “I love you, too’ from me, I turn back to my laptop and regard an Inbox
filled with urgent emails awaiting my attention. Contracts to review, shipments
that are late, and complaints about delayed payments. It is not easy managing
an international firm with offices in both Israel and Bulgaria. Maya complains
about my frequent flights to Sofia, and how that leaves her alone in our Tel
Aviv apartment dealing with the pregnancy on her own. Luckily there have been
no complications in the past nine months but as this will be our first child—a
boy—it is natural for her to be concerned. Especially during the last
trimester.
Maya understands why I work part of the time overseas, I tell
myself. Why I fly back and forth every other week. She realizes how important
it is to have my company succeed. It is a startup, admittedly, but one with
huge potential. Succeeding in this business will ensure our financial future. I
am not suggesting that we leave Israel, or that we relocate to Sofia, even
temporarily, as many other Israelis have done, but that I split my management
duties working out of two offices.
While I know that Maya supports me in this venture, and that she
backs me every step of the way, what has really bothered her is the fact that I
set up our second office in Bulgaria. Why Bulgaria? she asked me, repeatedly,
when I told her of the plan. Of all the countries to choose from, why had I
chosen an East European country with a communist past and a far from stellar
record as a member of the European Union. ‘Silicon Valley, I can understand,’
she had said to me. ‘England would even be acceptable.’
Bulgaria is only a two-hour flight from Israel, I told her. The
country offers excellent conditions for our second office, I explained. A
highly educated, multiple language-speaking workforce. A modern internet
infrastructure. Low labor costs and reasonable corporate tax requirements. In
short, we could get everything we needed in Sofia at a much cheaper price than
what we would have to pay in the United States or elsewhere.
While Maya had eventually acquiesced to my decision, things were
apparently different now that we are on the verge of starting our family—something
we have planned since the day we got married. Maya is more emotional than usual,
more judgmental. More prone to criticize my business decisions when they
interfere in our personal lives.
When I informed Maya that I would have to make one additional
flight to Bulgaria before the birth, she was both upset and somewhat
disappointed in me. I calmed her down with reassurances that I would be home
well before her due date. There was absolutely no way I could miss a planned
meeting with prospective investors in Sofia. I really had to go, I told her.
That was four days ago.
Sunday, August 6, 2023
What Readers Are Saying About "Tales of the Tel Aviv Ticket Inspector"
Readers of my short story "Tales of the Tel Aviv Ticket Inspector" have posted their feedback on social media and in messages to me, and I'd like to share their words. I hope you have a chance to read the story!
Tales of the Tel Aviv Ticket Inspector
Published in June 2023, DoubleSpeak
"This
is brilliant. It says so much about the love of a job, the love of a city and
the tapestry of its people, and most of all, the love of a spouse--beyond
health and measure. I felt Avshalom's internal wrestling, the loss he faced in
giving up that simple (yet deeply rich) job as a driver... to face the beauty
and banality of a life of lentil soup and "everything the same as
always." Yes, even after a brush with death. Thank you for this most
worthwhile and enriching piece."
* * *
"Incredibly
touching"
* * *
"Amazing!"
* * *
"Outstanding"
* * *
"Well
written of course! Love seeing the world through the eyes of your
characters!"
* * *
"I really enjoyed this, Ellis. Seamlessly written. The bittersweet ending hit the high notes"
* * *
I hope you have a chance to read "Tales of the Tel Aviv Ticket Inspector".
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