Zsidó mesék - Kulka János

Jewish stories - the Hungarian Actor Janos (John) Kulka. His story is that they lived in Szeged, a provincial town, when the shool visited the local sinagogue. At home, he told his father, and he told him the family story, they are Jews and most of the family was assessinated in Auschwitz. Typically among us Hungarian Jews, the subject was never mentioned and it was all completely new from him. He comments that his father spoke without emotion, tried to avoid loading the children with the horror of the Holocaust.

Springtime for J

Friday morning. Wonderful fresh air, springtime  sun, the streets full of people and children all dressed in happy colours, long white legged girls, life is coming back to the city. The winter is over, hungry young pidgeons and exotic birds are busy courting on the fig trees in front of my window.

I am re-reading Xenophon and endless petty wars of the Greeks. Near the end, only one thousand Spartans (of the officer class, mistranslated) remain, spread as harmosts (governors) in one hundred islands and mini-republics. One asks a Spartiate, Tell me, how many are you? He answers: Enough to reject people like you.

Blue

I am a bit dispirited since Monday. I drove to an Industrial Park of Ashtrom in the Deep South, and met a friendly young executive and promised to submit my proposal, which we had already agreed on. When arrived home after 2 hours driving, I got a bad lower back pain. Next day I had to prepare and deliver lectures on ZOOM, did so but I felt below my average. I suspect that the dread of restarting classes and work after two weeks of holidays caused my lower back pain. Today nothing aches but I postponed a meeting in Tel Aviv because my mood is blue, melancholic, dispirited. The epidemic has been mostly stopped and my wife is happy and tired babysitting and feeding the third generation. Her agenda is full for the next week. I am getting old - next time I'll stop every 30 minutes of driving. 

Life in Kfar Sava

Daughters and grandaughters. 

Death in Manaus

Manaus, in the middle of the Amazonas rainforest. The corona virus reached them. 

BAZAN is the exception

Today there is a general retreat of 3% in the stock exchange, with only one stock of TA35 still green, the Israeli refinery BAZAN.  What is happening? the air transport industry has crashed, no demand for refined products, the price of oil is near zero. 

Could it be that BAZAN's competition is exiting the market? Turkey’s largest oil refiner Tüpraş will temporarily stop production at its 220,000-barrel-per-day İzmir oil refinery as coronavirus lockdowns hit fuel demand, the firm has said in a stock exchange filing. Output at the refinery, which has an annual processing capacity of 11.9 million tons, will be suspended from May 5 until July 1.

I am not buying  because of the uncertainty. I am in cash.

Israeli Gendarmes Razing Jewish Family's Homes

150 Border Police deploy to Yitzhar to halt Zarug family circumcision

About 150 Border Police arrived in Yitzhar to prevent the Zarug family Brit Milah circumcision ceremony in the Kumi Ori neighborhood. Forces deployed on roads leading to the neighborhood and around the ruins of the Zarug family home.

The Zarug family, whose home was demolished by Border Police and Civil Administration days ago in Yitzhar, announced that they would be preparing to hold their Brit on the demolished home at 11am on Sunday.

Neria and Miriam Zarug even circulated public invitations on the networks to join the ceremony or participate live with them online.

Border forces are still preventing the Zarug family and another family from returning to their homes that were demolished in the Kumi Ori neighborhood. In recent days, the families have been struggling to return to their homes.