Judith Pearly
Jewish by the way of thinking. Mikhail Zhvanetsky about the “Lost generation”.
“Every time when I recall that the Lord is fair, I tremble for my country.” M.M. Zhvanetsky.
Nowadays only few artists master the skill of talking allegorically. So that to be profound and amusing at the same time. However Michael Zhvanetskiy manages to be even humorous. You laugh, and simultaneously can’t but think over the sense of the joke.
M.M. Zhvanetsky is a person of unique talents and tremendous mind. A thinker, a philosopher, a satirist, a writer, a Jew. Zhvanetsky is one of the few representatives left of so-called artistic Russian-speaking elite; and is well-known by his lively satiric prose. His works are full of deep feelings towards the society he is addressing; his words are energetic and precisely targeted. Talking in simple language about complicates things, he skillfully penetrates into the readers’ hears.
Mikhail was born in the FSU in a vivacious and characteristic Jewish shtetl Odessa, which is in Ukraine. His life wasn’t apparently easy: Mikhail happened to overcome the Second World War, the famine, anti-Semitism… His parents Emmanuil Moiseevich and Raisa Jakovlevna were doctors. In his interviews Zhvanetsky describes the terror they were living under during that period of life.
However listening to him, you won’t hear a word of complaining. Probably because of his simple and at the same time deeply philosophical approach to life.
CATEGORIES: Art Reading Social Culture
The Barry Sisters. The jazz legend about bagels.
Once upon a time there was a Jew called Bagelman. With the surname coming from the nature of his, he lived in Podol neighbourhood in Kiev. Our Jew indeed ran the same business as his ancestors had been running for centuries. He was a “bublichnik” which means in case you would have liked to taste the best bagel in the city, you had not choice but to visit Bagelman’s bakery.
At the same place and also once upon a time, there was another Jew – Jacob Petrovich Davidov. He also lived somewhere in Podol neighbourhood and was the master of all the journalistic genres: from political and satirical reviews to jokes and songs . In 1926 he wrote the song “bublichki”, which at once rolled up to America. There it was translated into Yiddish and suddenly acquired entirely different sense and sentimental character.
Meanwhile, searching for the best life one of Bagelman’ s sons ran away from politically concerned Kiev . He found his “corner” and a wife in the Jewish quarter of Manhattan where the prevailing population were native Russians. After a while our Bagelman became a grandfather of two sweet girls – Clara and Minnie Bagelman.
In the family spoke only in Yiddish. Other languages were simply not required in East-side neighbourhood. Once, on the Jewish radio, little Klara heard an easy-to-remember song, called “Bejgelah” (or “bublichki”). It was executed by children. Klara’s mother heard it too and thought in a manner of all the good Jewish mothers do: “Is it that my girls are less talented?” She grabbed Klara and dragged her off to the Jewish radio.
The debut of little Klara Bejgelman with “Papirossen” was just a first step of the world-famous Jazz duet beginning. There was a long story in between, but their mother always was the tireless engine, who was inspiring, encouraging and supporting us, – recalls 88-years old Claire.
Later on, the sisters changed their names into more “American” ones. Clara became Clare, Minnie changed into Merna. The famous “Barry” was created by Minnie.
ISHTAR – the goddess of intercultural peacemaking.
“ …If we can spread the message through music it’d be a great success, because our message is one about peace and love. The music breaks down all the barriers. You can sing today with Gypsies, tomorrow with Arabs. Music doesn’t have a religion. It really warms my heart when I see at one concert all types of people: Arabs, Jews, Christians, all kinds of religions, colors, there is no racism, no differences among cultures and religions. These distinctions are just not important in music”,
Eti Zach
Blending the Mediterranean strains of Flamenco with sensual Arabic harmonies, Ishtar Alabina has created a unique musical blend one might call ’the Rumba from the Desert. Her music makes your blood boil, your heart sing, your belly catch the rousing tune and dance, dance and dance!!!
I ran into the creative work of this unique Desert Flower incidentally, listening to the songs by Ofra Haza, a worldfamous talented Israeli singer. Ishtar made a pop/ethno mix of Ofra’s song “Le Orech ha’yam”, “Along the sea”, the song narrating about Israeli reality being far from peaceful. Her voice seemed to reflect the soul pain for the imperfectness of the world we’re living in (“Tagid li eifo esh olam aher lihiet – Tell me where there is another world to live in…). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Criwph9D544
תגיד לי איך לעצור את הדמעות
תגיד לי איפה יש עולם אחר לחיות
תגיד לי למה אין אמת רק הזיות
אז למה לנסות ולהמשיך עכשיו לבכות
Tell me how to stop the tears
Tell me where there’s another world to live in
Tell me why there is no truth, only illusions
So why should we try, and continue crying?
לאורך הים
אין גלים יש עולם
שנשבר לרסיסים על המזח
Along the length of the sea
There are no waves; there is a world
Broken into fragments on the pier
תגיד לי איך לעצור את הד
תגיד לי איפה יש עולם אחר לחיות
כשאנשים רצים אל תופת כמו אל ים
אני ארוץ אל תוך האש אם יחזרו משם
Tell me how to stop the tears
Tell me where there’s another world to live in
When people run into an inferno as if into the sea
I would run into the fire,
If only they would return from there
תגיד לי איך עם המוות אתה חי
מסתיר הדמעות בכל לילה תגיד לי עד מתי
האש שקוראת לי לא נמצאת שם באמת
וזה שנעלם, האם יחזור או כבר מת?!.
Tell me how you live with death
Hiding the tears every night -
Tell me, how much longer?
The fire that calls me
Is not really there
And the one who disappeared,
Will he return, or is he already dead?
תגיד לי איך לעצור את הדמעות
תגיד לי איך…
Tell me how to stop the tears
Tell me how…..
Sex And Kabbalah (Part II). Does Love Need Tools?
Being usually told by gentiles, jokes, legends and fairy-tales about what’s going on in Jewish bedroom on Friday night, nowadays are enthusiastically told by Jews themselves! Who haven’t heard at least once a life-time a well-known legend about Jews having sex through a sheet-hole?
Sexual life of Jews was always something hidden, surrounded by a mystical veil. And indeed, divorce is not that common in traditional Jewish families. Why? In the previous part of Sex & Kabbalah article we partly investigated the question and came to the conclusion that the main reason of sexual pleasure fading away is neglecting the spiritual part of relations. “When our connection to this unseen spiritual force of light is severed, our sexual desires are unquenchable, we are looking elsewhere for the sparks of light, recapturing pleasure: pornography, adultery, three-way sex, chemical stimulators so on.”
CATEGORIES: English Reading Religion Short Story Uncategorized
The Kabbalah Book Of Sex Or Getting To The Orgasm Which “Knocks Your Socks Off”!
“Oh, come on!! Are you gonna teach me (a splendidly experienced guy of 28 years old) how to behave in bed?”, - it was a remark of one of my friend when several months ago I tried to talk to him about relations. It happened after coming back from a marvellous lecture about kosher sex organized by a conservative rabbi in Stockholm.
Frankly speaking, I was a little bit shocked by the question. Is it really so, that nowadays the first idea coming into mind at mentioning of sex is the technical part of the process? Is THAT ALL about it?? Three-four partners sex, sex under drug influence, pornography, sex toys and other sexual perversions. The humanity have tried all of the known body simulators in order to return the novelty of sensations, to reach the divine sexual pick, one had never experienced. And still it’s not enough. Because when the next doze of amphetamine is over, or the endless quantity of gorgeous chicks seizes to excite you, then nobody will help you to restore this blankness in your soul. So maybe the humanity have been looking for the pleasure in the wrong direction? Maybe it’s high time to approach the spiritual part of sex relations?
CATEGORIES: English Reading Religion Short Story Uncategorized
Slavery still exists in Israel or work and traval wise (Part II)
In the previous chapter of this article I was giving some tips concerning how to get a job abroad avoiding a pain in a prominent part of your body. You, my dear readers, were probably asking yourself question : “What is the source of all this information?”. My experience which I would willingly share with you.
Slavery still exists in Israel or work and travel wise (part I)
During last two decades with the airline traffic development going abroad became incredibly popular among youth circles. Who wouldn’t like to better one’s financial state? Especially when simultaneously you have a chance of getting to know cultures, traditions, languages; making new friends, getting useful experience and fabulous impressions. It is fashionable, exciting and…..expensive. Well, Ms. Life’s lessons inevitably cost. So this article is for YOU, dear reader, who are eager to learn WHAT can happened when you don’t have enough information and experience. HOW to avoid dealing with a dishonorable employer and WHEN to start asserting your rights .
Tips and welcoming wishes.
