The Human Condition

My TV consumption is usually limited to the (extended) evening news, plus the occasional cookery programme, provided it does not involve a competition. I do not watch reality TV or competitions of any kind.

But the times they are a-changing, and Europe is teetering on the brink of something ominous. And so, one afternoon I left the book I was reading and joined my OH to watch a programme on the History Channel. Within a few minutes I found myself drawn into a fascinating documentary about the USA’s preparations for WWII.

As we all know, the USA, led by President Roosevelt, preferred to stay out of the war in Europe, and it was only after December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked the American fleet in Pearl Harbor, that the Americans joined in the war. However, this was not something to be entered into lightly and the necessary armaments and instruments of war had to be manufactured as rapidly and efficiently as possible.

I started watching the programme only after the beginning so don’t know what it was called, all I know is that it proceeded to show in a thorough and extensive way how the various logistical problems were solved. America was the most advanced industrialised country in the world, but was not geared up for producing weapons of war. By dint of the resolve of Roosevelt and the men working with him, American industry was mobilized to manufacture weapons of war rather than the goods and services that had hitherto been produced. Thus, the assembly lines and resources of the Ford factory in Michigan that had been churning out automobiles were converted in order to manufacture aeroplanes. This was a far from simple undertaking, but eventually, by cooperating and combining resources with other manufacturers the ultimate result was the Douglas bomber, which played a seminal role in the Allied victory.

Similarly, the American fleet did not have enough ships and aircraft carriers to carry the war to the Atlantic Ocean. The shipyards in the San Francisco Bay area were too small to produce the quantity and size of vessels required. Here, too, a concerted effort combined with innovative shipbuilding practices enabled the shipyards to produce 1,400 vessels in three years, compared with only 23 ships in the decade prior to 1940.

In addition, the Chrysler plant in Detroit was converted from the manufacture of automobiles to the production of tanks. Women began working in the factories and on the assembly lines, replacing the men who had been called up.

Altogether, a concerted effort of adaptation, ingenuity and cooperation enabled America to fight in Europe and eventually, together with Britain and the Allies, to win the war.

On the evening of the same day I watched a programme on Israeli TV showing in graphic form the events that led up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans in the year 70 C,E, The colourful images and dramatic recreation of the events leading up to the final cataclysm depicted the rivalry and enmity between the different groups of Jews in the city, so that each sector fought against the other rather than combining forces against the Roman army. The defeat that emerged in the final event constituted an object lesson in how the folly, vanity and stupidity of human beings can lead to disaster.

Thus, two TV programmes depicting events two thousand years apart, and a huge contrast between two approaches to resolving a problem, taught me an important lesson about the human condition.

If you enjoyed reading this, please consider reading one of my 8 novels, all available on Amazon, and from my website: www.shefer-vanson.com

Mes Amis, Mes Amours

In this novel by Marc Levy two Frenchmen in their thirties, one separated the other divorced, and each one with custody of a child, are living in London. As the book begins they are sitting in a park in Paris, watching children play and guessing how long the man on a nearby bench has been divorced. (This book is in French, and is part of my quest to read in that language from time to time.)

Antoine, who is divorced, has already established himself in London, where he has opened an architectural office and has acquired part of a house in a pleasant Kensington street. His friend, Mathias, has just lost his job in a Paris bookshop, and Antoine suggests that he join him in London just as an opportunity arises for him to take over a bookshop specializing in French books in the same area. Mathias duly moves to London (in pre-Brexit times this presented no great bureaucratic difficulties, and the Eurostar train made travel between London and Paris quick and hassle-free), joining Antoine in his house, which they convert from two flats into one unit.

In addition to the bookshop and the architectural office, the quiet street contains a café-restaurant run by Yvonne, an older woman who is also from France, as well as a flower-shop run by Sophie, who is younger (and French too). Various other (non-French) characters make brief appearances in the narrative, mainly Mr. Mckenzie, who helps to manage Antoine’s business and is also sweet on Yvonne, and Mr. Glover, the elderly Englishman who is the former owner of the bookshop taken over by Mathias, and who is also very fond of Yvonne. Mr. Glover retires to a cottage somewhere in Kent, and Yvonne promises to visit him there one day.

The children, Antoine’s son Louis and Mathias’ daughter Emily (both aged about eight), are good friends, growing up together as brother and sister, and playing an important part in the lives of their respective parents. The two go to school together, play and watch TV together after school, and constitute objects of affection as well as occasionally also something of a burden for their respective fathers.

When Mathias meets Audrey, an attractive French journalist, matters become complicated, impinging on the friendship between the two men. Among the house rules imposed by Antoine was that they would not use babysitters or bring women into the house. Naturally, it becomes increasingly difficult for Mathias to adhere to this injunction, and his frequent infringements of it begin to affect the relations between the two friends. Matters are further complicated by the fact that Mathias suffers from vertigo, and is unable to tolerate ascending in a life to a restaurant on the top of the high-rise OXO building. Among the more endearing facets of the book are the frequent references to actual physical locations in and around London, presumably based on the author’s knowledge.

Antoine and Mathias take their children on a short vacation to Scotland, where they visit and stay at various castles in search of the ghosts which supposedly haunt them. They devise a plan to renovate Yvonne’s run-down café, and this venture is achieved over the course of the weekend when she finally goes to visit Mr. Glover in Kent. What happens then is unexpected, and as the book draws to a close all the individuals have reached decisions about what they are going to do with their life.

In the epilogue, grown-up Louis and Emily are sitting on a park bench, taking bets on how long the man on a nearby bench evidently caring for a child on a swing has been divorced.

While not being particularly profound, this book gives one an insight into the workings of the mind of French men, as well as some idea of what life was like for French exiles living in London on pre-Brexit times.

If you enjoyed reading this, please consider reading one of my 8 novels, all available on Amazon, and from my website: www.shefer-vanson.com

A Beethoven Feast

Being able to hear all five Beethoven piano concerti played on two successive evenings was a rare treat. This was provided by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro Steven Sloane, and brought Beethoven’s immense oeuvre in this realm into sharp and impressive perspective.

On the first evening we heard concerti nos. 1, 3 and 4. Each one was played by a different young Israeli soloist, all of whom were amazingly talented and assured, playing with aplomb and grace. On the second, shorter, evening we heard nos. 2 and 5, thus ending with the magnificent last concerto, known as the Emperor. My unprofessional but accustomed ear did not pick up a single false note or tone in any of the performances and, as ever, I went away full of admiration for the amazing and talented young pianists Israel seems able to produce, including one young man who is Palestinian. Those two events were truly inspiring, providing nourishment for the soul and the mind.

Another admirable feature was the fact that two of the soloists were women, and their performances were in no way overshadowed by those of their male colleagues. To play a Beethoven piano concerto requires stamina and fortitude as well as talent, technical ability and application, and all five of the soloists displayed all the requisite characteristics in abundance. To hear Beethoven’s enormous range of power, expressive ability, sensitivity and musicality played with prodigious verve, precision and bravura is an experience not to be forgotten.

Was there a fly in the ointment? Yes, of course there was. This was represented by certain members of the audience. In these Corona times the audience is usually spread out in such a way as to leave an empty seat between people from different households. Although it isn’t always possible to keep to this rule, my husband and I certainly try to do so. Even so, there are always people sitting in the rows in front of us (we usually sit in the last row) and further along in the same row, and it is virtually impossible to avoid seeing what they are doing. Thus, people who insist on bobbing their head around or moving hand or arms to demonstrate their familiarity with the music (and after all, who isn’t acquainted with it?), constitute a constant nuisance and irritation to people like us, who are accustomed to the custom of sitting still in a concert. After all, the conductor does enough head-bobbing and hand-waving to keep the music going without assistance from the audience. Maybe someone should point out to them that the kind of behaviour that is customary in a rock or pop concert is not appropriate for one of classical music.

The latest addition to the litany of disturbances impairing our enjoyment of concerts is the ubiquitous mobile phone. I’m not talking about the people who forget to turn their phone off, so that its sudden ring constitutes a brutal intrusion into the music, disturbing the whole audience, and probably the musicians as well. What I’m referring to are people sitting near us who cannot bear to be parted from the screen of their phone for a single second. Why must one check one’s phone for messages while in a concert? To my mind, the beauty of a live concert lies in the opportunity it provides to focus solely and entirely on the experience of the moment, the live performance of great music, instead of listening to recorded music or even a live performance at home, where there are a million and one distractions.

All the same, the various trivial annoyances are never going to prevent me from benefiting from the pleasure I derive from attending a concert.

Consumers Revolt

In the same week as the government announced a rise in the price of fuel and electricity several major food importers and manufacturers in Israel proclaimed that they would also be raising prices.

For once, instead of the usual passive acceptance of their fate, consumers in Israel took action. Led and encouraged by commentators in the various media (TV, radio, newspapers, social networks), the indignation of the average consumer at being subjected to yet another price hike was expressed in a general boycott of their products.

Thus Osem, one of the major producers of such basic items as pastas, snacks, processed foods and sundry other foodstuffs, suddenly experienced a 25 percent drop in purchases of their products. Osem was once a publicly-traded Israeli company but was taken over by Swiss-owned Nestlé a few years ago, and became a private entity. No longer was its balance-sheet open for public review and its profits and financial management were hidden from view. To a great extent, under its new name as Nestlé-Osem, while the paychecks of its senior executives were no longer a known quantity, they were acknowledged to be extremely generous. Dividends were also paid out, but not to shareholders, as there were no longer any of them.

Other companies, whose names were less well-known but which also controlled a large part of the market for toiletries and other items, also announced price-rises of their goods. Many of them are monopolies in their field, leaving the consumer little choice in the matter of selective purchasing.

The commentators were at pains to publicise the names of the various producers while detailing the products they controlled. It did not take long for people to sit up and take note of what was going on, though I did not hear of any action on the cards by the government to stop what was tantamount to their acting as a cartel. Functioning as a cartel is illegal, and I have been personally warned not to ask my professional association to publish translation rates as if it did so it would be liable to prosecution as a cartel!

Strangely enough, no one (as far as I know) has pointed a finger at the government and accused it of being responsible, at least in part, for the price rises everyone is so het up about. But everyone knows that electricity and fuel – as well as taxes and customs charges — are basic inputs that are involved in one way or another in the import, production and distribution of all goods. How has this gone unnoticed? We know that world prices of energy of various kinds have gone up, but the shekel is currently one of the strongest currencies in the world, obviating the need to raise prices. And in any case these would surely not have had to be immediately passed on to the population at large.

As a result of the outcry, some major manufacturers have said that they will defer raising their prices until after the upcoming Passover (Pesach) holiday, when there usually is a sharp rise in food purchases by the public. But that is little consolation, as we know that the blow will fall then. So many Israelis are struggling to make ends meet, whether they are young families or old-age pensioners, and it is a sorry state of affairs when what was once a society based on egalitarian values becomes one in which homeless people freeze to death in the street and many families cannot afford heat, light and food.