Here We Go Again

It’s déjà vu all over again. Groundhog Day. More of same.

Another general election in Israel. The fourth in the space of two years. And again the result does not give a decisive majority to any combination of the 38 parties vying for our votes.

Israel’s society is fragmented into countless interest groups, with parties representing segments of the population, ideas and occasionally even ideologies that seek to predominate this small country.

I look with envy at England, my birthplace, with its two or three main parties. Even the USA, for all its faults, has managed to maintain its two-party system. Would that Israel could enjoy a similar situation.

While the rivalry between the various parties, factions and splinter groups reflects the nature of Israel’s population, it seems to have descended into farce when one enters the polling booth and is confronted by a tray containing 36 different options (6 x 6 compartments) for voting plus an ‘overflow tray’ with another two.

Even before the final results were in, our Machiavellian prime minister was already trying to cobble a coalition government together, even if this involved cooperating with extremist Jewish nationalists as well as the representative of an Arab Islamist party. What is clear is that the majority of Israel’s population appears to support right-wing views. Whether this is the result of natural selection or public relations is debatable.

I don’t use the term ‘Machiavellian’ lightly, but it does seem to represent Benjamin Netanyahu, whose machinations after the last election involved pleading publicly with Benny Ganz, the leader of the Blue-White party, to join forces with his Likud party to form a government, in which he promised ‘no tricks or funny business,’ and to enact a mid-term rotation with Ganz for the role of prime minister.

Needless to say, no sooner had Ganz responded to that call, thereby incurring the ire of his former colleagues in the Blue-White party, leading to a split in its ranks, than Netanyahu started to stymie him at every turn. The coup de grace came with Netanyahu’s refusal to enable the government to pass a budget, even though it had been agreed at the outset of the coalition negotiations that a two-year budget would be passed.

Following the Coronavirus epidemic, and the relative success in the acquisition and distribution of the vaccine, Netanyahu has managed the timing of the lockdowns and their subsequent relaxation so as to reach election day with maximum economic easing and permitted social contact.

Whether that is why people still vote for him or it is rather his ability to portray strength of character and inspire confidence remains a mystery to me. As far as I’m concerned he is a shady character with the ability to play a role and lie glibly that redounds to Israel’s shame.

Unless there is some kind of radical change, Israeli society seems doomed to enter a tunnel of racist, fascist, homophobic and retrograde policies, unless and until people wake up from their dreams of expansion and hegemony over others. But there’s no indication that that will happen any time soon.

Until the next general election, which is already looming on the horizon.

Image: Tomer Sapirstein

‘Eagle in the Sky’ by Wilbur Smith

I ordered this book from Bibliophile because the blurb proclaimed that its main character was a pilot who fell in love with an Israeli woman and fought for his adopted country. That, in essence, is the nub of the story, but around it surges and swells a series of events and adventures involving love and enmity, joy and sorrow, and a veritable roller-coaster of emotions for the reader, who cannot help but be drawn into this gripping tale of romance, adventure and action.

The hero of the story, David Morgan, is a handsome young man born into a wealthy South African dynasty who is expected to become a respected partner in the family firm. However, he spurns the career that has been mapped out for him in order to devote himself to his love of flying. In his travels through Europe he encounters a beautiful young Israeli, Debra, and eventually follows her to Israel.

In Israel he is considered suitable to serve as a fighter pilot in the country’s Air Force (I’m not sure that is actually feasible in this day and age), and forges a brilliant career for himself in that capacity. In the chapters that follow the reader is treated to a highly detailed account of the method of operating a Mirage aircraft, with copious amounts of technical information on a subject which this particular reader found rather tedious.

Subsequently the events come upon the characters thick and fast, with tense descriptions of incidents which may or may not have actually taken place at some point in Israel’s history, and these affect our main characters in various ways.

Without giving away too much about the way the story twists and turns in ways that have a direct bearing on the behaviour of the principal characters, the plot takes us on a bumpy physical and psychological ride through extensive medical procedures (again, far too much technical detail for my taste) more adventures and derring-do, and a final twist in the tail on the very last page of the book..

Although this type of book does not conform to my usual taste in reading matter, I found it to be well-written, interesting (on the whole), and a gripping yarn. On consideration, I’d say that the wealth of technical detail and high level of tension in the development of the narrative indicates that the target readership is the male of the species. It seems clear to me that the book was written with the idea or ambition in mind of having it turned into a movie So if that kind of book is your cup of tea, go for it!

A Literary Furore

The latest scandal to erupt in Israel’s literary arena has been triggered by the book published by Galia Oz, the daughter of the late, greatly-esteemed writer, Amos Oz. The memoir, entitled ‘Something Disguised as Love,’ burst upon the Israeli reading public in a blaze of publicity arising from its controversial revelations concerning the behaviour of Amos Oz towards his daughter.Galia Oz claims that in her childhood her father acted consistently and relentlessly in a violent and aggressive manner towards her, beating, kicking and abusing her verbally. She also claims that the entire Oz family ostracized and demonized her.

Literary circles in Israel have been having a field day, chewing over the contents of the book, analysing the author and the veracity of her claims. Thus, Benny Tzipper, the literary editor of Haaretz, uses the opportunity to denigrate both father and daughter for what he considers to be their inferior literary ability and ‘narcissism.’

Amos Oz has been universally acclaimed, both in Israel and abroad, as a leading literary talent, and I personally have greatly admired his use of language and ability to recreate time, place and character in those of his books I have read. Benny Tzipper has proved himself to be a capable literary editor, though in other aspects (his adulation for Sarah and Benjamin Netanyahu, and the fact that he is something of a dandy in his attire) I am deeply suspicious of his judgment.

He uses the opportunity presented by being able to review Galia Oz’s book to represent himself as a long-suffering victim of verbal abuse hurled at him on the phone by Amos Oz’s widow, claiming that her furious tirade caused him to forget to get off the bus when it reached ‘his’ kibbutz. The unsuspecting reader would assume that the writer is a member of a kibbutz somewhere in the north of Israel, but a quick glance at Google reveals that he merely lives in a suburban extension of a kibbutz, and hence has no affiliation with the socialist values of that institution.

For Benny Tzipper to accuse Amos Oz of being narcissistic is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black. One might even argue that anyone who writes and publishes a book or an article is, by definition, narcissistic themselves.

But the plot thickens. The following weekend edition of the paper (today) contained a heartfelt article in the op-ed section (for obvious reasons, I’m guessing, not the literary section) by Mark Glazerman, who claims to have been a long-standing friend, as well as the physician, of Amos Oz, stating that he knows how saddened his friend was by the rift with his daughter which, according to Glazerman, was Galia’s doing.

By chance I happen to have reliable inside information about the rift within the family, which bears out Glazerman’s claim.

The sparks are still flying, and the book is still selling, which may have been the object of the exercise. The furore has given Benny Tzipper a chance to cast aspersions on one of Israel’s leading literary lights while at the same time (mis)representing himself as a noble warrior in Israel’s struggle for social justice.

At Last!

After a year of living in a cultural desert, the ban on public performances in Israel has finally been lifted. And last night when we were able at last to attend a real live concert.

The requirements were clear: anyone who had bought tickets had to provide proof of having been vaccinated twice, as well as a certificate of identity. The seating arrangements were equally stringent, with an empty seat between anyone not from the same household (very handy as a place to put one’s coat). We were told to come at a set time before the concert so that arrival times would be staggered. This being Israel, however, that particular requirement was tossed aside as people struggled to locate the necessary documents on their mobile phones and had to be helped in this by the staff. Although there is no age limit on getting vaccinated in Israel, the vast majority of the recipients are the over-sixties, and it was that age-group that constituted the majority of the audience.

Despite all the restrictions, the atmosphere was joyful. As is customary with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, since this was the first concert of the season a chocolate treat (a Ferraro sphere) was handed to each member of the audience as they entered the building. The familiar foyer of the Jerusalem Theatre was as festive and welcoming as ever, and even though social mingling was not allowed, there were many smiles and waves as people recognized familiar faces they hadn’t seen in over a year, and even strangers enjoyed one another’s company – from a distance.

Once everyone was seated, in accordance with the Coronavirus regulations, the orchestra filed in and took their socially distanced places on the stage to enthusiastic applause from the waiting audience. The members of the orchestra replied in traditional manner by stamping their feet or tapping their instruments, thus creating a thunderous noise. Like the audience, all the players were wearing masks, except for the wind and brass players, who were seated behind perspex screens.

More applause greeted the entry of the conductor, Doron Solomon, who was evidently moved. From the dais he turned to the audience and spoke briefly, saying how happy and honoured he was to be conducting the wonderful orchestra at this landmark concert, adding that he admired and respected every single member of the audience.

With the first strains of the music, Schubert’s overture to Rosamunde, the peace that only music and harmony can bestow on hundreds of assembled souls descended on the auditorium. No one coughed, no cellphone ringtone rang out and everyone was on their very best behaviour, treasuring the moment as a precious jewel to be stored in one’s memory of momentous events.

It bears noting that while in the past it was almost trivial, or at least routine, to go to a concert, last night’s performance was a momentous event. How I – and I believe many others – had longed for that moment when the orchestra began to play!

Needless to say, the music was inspiring, and the piano concerto by Haydn was played with aplomb by the very talented Ofra Yitzhaki. As an encore, after enthusiastic applause, she treated us to a delicious arrangement of a charming Israeli song disguised as a lied by Schubert (I wish I knew who arranged Schubert’s ‘Serenade’ as the introduction and accompaniment).

In line with the Coronavirus restrictions, there was no intermission, as that would have been the signal for the traditional social mingling. Hopefully, that, too, will come in the fullness of time and vaccinations. The concert ended with a fine performance of Schubert’s fifth symphony, followed by more long and enthusiastic applause, and then it was time to venture out once more into the cold Jerusalem night.

But our hearts were warm.