Blogger’s Delight

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Bank of Israel, Wordpress

The other day I received a delightful email from the people at WordPress, my blog server, giving me an ‘Annual Report’ for 2015 with statistics about this blog garnered by what they call their ‘stats helper monkeys.’

Immediately in my mind’s eye I could see those eager little creatures running here and there, collecting, collating, assembling and number-crunching to provide me with the valuable information regarding the number of people who read my blog each day, week, month and year, which blog posts were the most read, and where those avid readers were located.

It certainly was of interest to me, and it somehow reminded me of those heady days when I worked in the English section of the Bank of Israel’s Publications Unit. There, too, we produced an Annual Report each year, though that was a weighty tome containing chapters of great seriousness with headings such as ‘Output and Demand,’ ‘The Balance of Payments,’ and other similar titles.

They, too, were based on numbers collected, collated and crunched, upon which lengthy and profound analyses were based, though I doubt whether the people who worked on these subjects in the Research Department would have liked to be known as ‘monkeys.’

Still, I must confess that I personally found the data regarding my blog far more interesting than those pertaining to Israel’s macroeconomic situation. In fact, I was fascinated to find which post was most read during the year (it was ‘Why I Had to Write ‘Time Out of Joint, the Fate of a Family’), which day was the most popular (Monday) and which time of day was most frequently cited (10 a.m.).

In an evident effort to sugar the pill of a slight decline in traffic to my blog from 2014 to 2015, I was told: ‘Some of your most popular posts were written before 2015, Your writing has staying power! Consider writing about those topics again.’

Now that is complete nonsense, in my opinion. Who wants to read about the same things over and over again? I certainly don’t, and I think that I really do try and keep writing about different subjects, though I admit that that’s not always easy. The political situation in Israel and abroad provides plenty of ammunition for any number of blogs (which is essentially what newspapers contain), but I don’t want to be constantly harping on about politics. It’s true that there’s always something happening in that respect, but there are plenty of other sources of information and opinion on that topic elsewhere.

I started writing this blog some time in 2012, so I suppose one could say I do indeed have staying power. After I had been writing my monthly article for the AJR Journal (Association of Jewish Refugees) in England for some time (I started in late 2003), I found myself wanting to say something about various subjects on a far more frequent basis. One article a month was just not enough! So, after having failed to persuade that august publication to appear on a weekly rather than a monthly basis, I enlisted the help of one of my sons and set up this blog. Since then I have been writing a post on average once a week. Although it’s not always so easy to find something to write about, usually something does turn up.

Just like the email I got from WordPress the other day.

 

 

Taking it Easy

 

After some difficult weeks in which my OH was obliged to attend to structural damage to property of ours caused by an incompetent contractor working for a neighbor, I managed to persuade him to book us a weekend in a hotel by the Dead Sea, so that I could recover from that stressful time.

My ploy worked, and we were able to spend a couple of days on holiday from our hectic retirement schedule (courses given and attended). The hotels along the shore of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, offer a myriad of relaxing and invigorating treatments and delights, ranging from salt- and fresh-water swimming pools, the sea itself, as well as spas that offer all kinds of pampering designed to make the individual feel relaxed and rejuvenated.

The waters and minerals of the Dead Sea supposedly have all kinds of medical benefits, and in the past tourists from all over the world would come to experience the special ambience and treatments. I encountered very few foreign tourists on this particular weekend, though that doesn’t mean that they weren’t there, perhaps in other hotels.

The region has undergone extensive development in recent years so that in addition to a great many hotels there are now beautiful promenades and beaches providing shade and amenities as well as readily accessible paths along which sporty types can be seen taking their early-morning exercise, or simply walking, whether singly or in twos or threes.

Another feature of life by the Dead Sea is the plentiful food on offer in the hotels. The staff attending to the guests in the dining room of the hotel where we were staying were in evidence wherever one turned, clearing plates away, cleaning the tables and the floors, and providing service with a smile at all times.

Our room was spacious, the bed comfortable and the hotel showered us with treats, ranging from a bowl of fruit to chocolates, a cake and a bottle of wine. The view of the Dead Sea and the Mountains of Moav on the other side was a fascinating backdrop to our brief vacation, and the ever-changing scenery of the mountains constituted a challenge to my attempts to paint them, ranging from an indistinct blur in the morning to a spectacular pink and gold glow for five minutes in the afternoon and reflected in the water as in a mirror. I tried to capture the effect in paint, but I fear that I failed miserably.

Nonetheless, it was a decidedly well-fed, rested and relaxed couple that drove back to Jerusalem on Sunday morning —  in stark contrast to the tense wretches who had made their way down to the sea on Thursday afternoon.

 

 

 

 

The Life and Times of ‘Call the Midwife’

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Heidi Thomas, Jennifer Worth

 The TV series, ‘Call the Midwife,’ which is based on Jennifer Worth’s book of that name about her own experiences of working as a midwife in the impoverished East End of post-war London, has aroused widespread interest and enthusiasm, first in Britain and subsequently all over the world. Everybody has been born, of course, but not everyone has been privileged to take part in the miracle of birth. Most women have, probably, whether attended by a midwife or doctor, and some lucky ones even with their husband or partner at their side. But bringing this momentous yet mundane event before a mass audience is a major undertaking, which Heidi Thomas’ book attempts to portray.

Because of the time and place in which the series is set, the East End of London after WWII, the producers and directors placed particular emphasis on achieving the authentic feel of the time and place. This book provides some insight into the tremendous lengths that were gone to in order to ensure that this authenticity was attained. Thus, extensive research was undertaken, journals and magazines of the time were studied closely, and clothing, furnishings, household items, cosmetics and even baby clothes were sought in order to match the styles and materials available then. The midwives in the series are associated with a convent, and we are also given a glimpse into the lives of the nuns. The actors – mainly  actresses – come  across as very authentic characters, and the ‘interviews’ with their characters as that appear in the series indicate how very successfully they have entered into the mindset of the  individuals they portray.

In the 1950s, which I remember as a child, England was beginning to emerge from the general constraints and rationing imposed by the Second World War; at the same time the National Health was being introduced. This brought immense benefits, particularly to the poorer segments of the population, radically changing the way medical treatment was provided. The sight of a midwife on her bicycle on her way to attend a home delivery is no longer the norm, as it was then. Home deliveries, often without any form of pain alleviation, which characterized the process of delivery and birth until relatively recently, are now very much a thing of the past, and most babies (at least in the Western world) are born in hospitals.

Childbirth is fraught with many dangers, both to mother and child, and the progress that has been made in so many areas of  medical science means that infant mortality rates have dropped all over the world, as have fatalities among puerperal mothers. The TV series shows rigorous adherence to the medical procedures known at the time, with emphasis on maintaining hygiene – no easy matter in the circumstances in which many people lived in the East End.

As well as the advice and help given by the author of the book on which the series was based but who unfortunately died while filming was in progress, the series had the benefit of a resident midwifery consultant, and to this viewer’s unprofessional eye it all seemed very authentic. The book takes the reader behind the scenes, telling us where all those gorgeous newborns came from and how they were handled with the utmost care.

What affected me most was to read that just as I, together with many viewers, was moved to tears in front of the telly when watching each episode, the same emotion gripped the hardened (mostly male) crews working behind the scenes. The miracle of birth is something we take all very much for granted, but every safe delivery of a healthy baby is indeed a miracle, and the TV series has done a great service in reminding us of that.

 

A Memory to Treasure

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Arie Vardi, Beethovem Rachmaninov, Chopin, Yeol Eum Son

 

Set apart from the usual concerts in the framework of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra’s subscription series was one entitled ‘First Prize,’ and dedicated to young musicians ‘from east and west’ who had succeeded in various international competitions.

So we bought tickets for a concert with Yeol Eum Son, a young pianist from South Korea. The programme was particularly attractive: Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto, followed by Rachmaninov’s third piano concerto. What a feast!

The conductor, Arie Vardi, who is also a professor at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover, Germany, has taught many illustrious pianists, and it is with him that Yeol Eum Son is currently studying. As the two came onto the stage to start the performance it was obvious that there was a warm rapport between them.

Choosing to play any two classical concerti in one programme obviously represents a huge challenge for any soloist, and in this case this was particularly the case. Both concerti start with deceptively simple melodies which then go on to become ever-more complex. This is particularly so with the Rachmaninov concerto, which requires both physical endurance and power as well as sensitivity.

The second movement, Allegro Moderato, of Beethoven’s fourth piano concerto has always been one of my favourites, displaying a heart-warming dialogue between the aggressive ‘forte’ of the orchestra and the calm, moderate notes played by the piano. I always regard it as a conversation between one rather angry person and another who speaks consistently in a serene and unruffled way. Much to my satisfaction, it is the harsh, angry tones of the orchestra which eventually succumb to the moderate ones of the piano, so that in the end the two blend together and play a gentle tune to conclude the movement. I don’t believe that Beethoven had ever heard of the concepts of Yin and Yang, but in this case it is the Yin, or gentle, feminine aspect, that overcomes the gruff, masculine Yang, and that is something which I personally find particularly satisfying.

Rachmaninov’s third piano concerto places huge technical and physical demands on any soloist, let along one so young, and even more so one who has just played another demanding piano concerto. But Miss Eum Son sailed through it without any evident effort, playing all those crashing chords and rippling runs with verve and gusto, never seeming to flag.

At the end, acceding to the audience’s rapturous applause, the soloist played an encore (one of Chopin’s frothy impromptus). Maestro Vardi was obviously very proud of his talented student, and as the audience continued to applaud he gestured to indicate that she should play yet another encore. At this, however, his prize student balked, and an expression of something that looked like revulsion or distaste (or perhaps simple exhaustion) suffused her delicate features, and so the concert came to an end.

One more remark is in place with regard to the attire worn by the young soloist. The pattern was the same for both halves of the concert, but the colour of the fabric was black in the first half and gold in the second. The dress was reminiscent of something that jazz singer Shirley Bassey used to wear in performance – slinky, clinging and long, with an extremely low-cut back, exposing rather a lot of skin. I suppose it’s good to have a figure that can carry off something like that, but it’s a bit of a distraction for the members of the audience, and especially the men, as I gathered from the conversations I overheard during the interval.

Notwithstanding, it was a pleasure and a privilege to hear this gifted young pianist play. I’m sure we will be hearing about her for many years to come.

The Situation in Israel

 

 

It always looks worse from the outside than the actual situation on the ground. Of course, wherever and whenever violent attacks occur there is mayhem, often with tragic consequences, but life in Israel goes on pretty much as normal everywhere else, though there is a noticeably greater police and military presence.

Walking through the centre of modern Jerusalem the other day the only remarkable feature was the lack of anything remarkable. People were sitting in outdoor cafes enjoying the sunshine and the delicacies on offer. Tourists were enjoying ice-creams as they strolled along the pedestrian mall, trying to decide which souvenirs to buy. Shops seemed to be doing good business and it was not always easy to find an attendant to take one’s money.

The question is, who gains from stirring up these attacks? The perpetrators are almost invariably shot and killed. The physical damage they inflict is not always as lethal as they had hoped, and the resulting security clampdown and destruction of family homes is scarcely beneficial to their community.

It would seem that those who suffer the most are the shopkeepers and stallholders of the Old City, as few Israelis are prepared to venture there today and tourists are less inclined to frequent the narrow alleys and streets. There are enough attractions and ancient sites in modern Jerusalem to keep any tourist busy for days on end.

What has been achieved, however, is a reinforcement of intransigence on the part of Israelis who might previously have been inclined to cede parts of Jerusalem and the Territories to Palestinian control. What hope is there for peaceful coexistence if murderous violence is apt to erupt whenever one Palestinian agency or another decides to incite its youngsters to take up knives and stab Jews whenever and wherever they can?

It’s no use telling us that ‘they just want their own country,’ as I heard when I was in London a few years ago. Is that why they did their utmost to destroy Israel in 1948, 1967 and 1973? Is that why rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza ever since Israeli troops pulled out of the Strip and handed it over, lock stock and barrel, to the Palestinians? Why did they not seize the opportunity to create a flourishing state of their own instead of destroying everything in sight and launching murderous attacks on their neighbours? It might be worth recalling that in 1929, long before Israel’s establishment, the Moslem residents of Hebron rioted and killed Jews indiscriminately, completely annihilating the Jewish population of the town.

Yes, they have succeeded in creating an atmosphere of enmity and possibly even fear, but that too shall pass. Israel has experienced similar outbreaks of hostility from time to time and eventually these have abated, whether as a result of harshly repressive measures or through an effort to engage in dialogue with the other side.

While Israel’s Messianic Zionists, are doing their utmost to arouse feelings of anger among Moslems by organizing demonstrative outings to the Temple Mount there are pinpricks of light here and there where Palestinians and Israelis stand side by side and refuse to be drawn into the senseless cycle of aggression and enmity.

The sad fact remains, however, that the forces of reason, those segments of Israel’s Jewish population who once thought that coexistence alongside a Palestinian state was possible, are diminishing daily, as they are confronted by the all-pervasive intransigence. Given the current atmosphere on both sides, there does not seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel. But then again, life goes on, and is sometimes full of surprises.