I
do have wishes and plans for tomorrow, however.I have come to love my
daily routine---really! This is especially so when it involves
activities with my husband, and we walk hand -in- hand.
I cannot get over how different Eilat is from anywhere in Israel or the rest of the world that I have traveled.
It
lacks all manners of being! No manners,no modesty, no rules, a kind of
end-of-road outpost for has beens, or more accurately, never wases! A
loose hodgepodge of drifters and young families raising abundant
children, in a muddle of languages, appear cell phone ridden, while a
mass of (usually) young tourists mope or stomp by.
Our small
airport is smack in the center of our vacation town.It will soon be
removed to a new location half an hour out of town.The oddity and
experience of low flying planes right above your head will be gone!
There
is little to rebel against here, except for the lack of culture.Ah, yes, after
residing in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico,Oaxaca, France,Italy, and
Argentina, New York, San Francisco, Greece (island of Paros), even
Jerusalem and Safed in Israel,it is remarkable to find myself, ( a self
proclaimed snob), in a land of middle -of -the -road tourist spots
offering middle of the road entertainment, to match the life styles of
all the hotel workers and vulgar visitors!
Almost two years ago now, I started a play reading group for which I alone make all of the selections to be read. It
is a small, deeply committed and rewarding group which meets weekly on
Sunday evenings .The group has become one of serious reading actors.We
have made only one public reading, on high stools (a la Broadway) in
costume: Apollo of Bellac., by Jean Giraudoux.It had quite a bit of
approval and appreciation.There is now a request for a second play
reading to be presented.WHEE!!
This last attempt at filling up a deep empty space for CULTURE has me spinning on Sunday evenings. We are about to embark on a second venture----another one act play to put forth to the public.
Ages in the group range from 52-90 years old..Even number of men and women.
No
one is obese for a once a week look around- in this group---this is an
uncanny, remarkable scene for this city where there is enough body fat
to feed all of the world's hunger! It is a striking contrast to the
human world I have come to know and recognize.
Purim is a
holiday in Israel this week where we are commanded (as Jews) to imbibe,
dress in costumes, reel at parties that can be endless--and thank Queen
Esther for keeping us going! We were to be wiped out!!
It
seems that nobody has been able to accomplish that, but we are
intermarrying at a rapid rate, so who knows how and who will represent
Israel in the not too distant future
I lived on a kibbutz in 1962 where there were scruples and a sense of belonging that was like none other. I picked grapefruits, took care of the children's house during their sleeping hours while eating gobs of halvah from their little kitchen! Oh, I also studied and learned Hebrew for three hours a day.
All that is gone, buried,and the Kibbutzim that remain are privately owned!
The
one advantage is the free coffin at the end.Otherwise, it is free but
pretty reduced in ceremony---into a linen bag you go, into a dirt space
where others will be joining you!
Here's to life!
MISS RHEINGOLD
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