[as if in dreams] A newsletter from Joseph Zitt - 05 November 2023
Hi. I'm Joseph Zitt. I moved from the US to Israel in 2017. This is my newsletter about more-or-less daily life in my city in the shadow of war. You can select these links to subscribe or unsubscribe. There are more links at the bottom. Here we go...
A giant display of paper towels stands at the entrance to the supermarket, right where you walk in. You can't miss it. Each package is emblazoned with our flag and the slogan "Together we will be victorious!" I think someone once said that everything happens twice, first as tragedy and then as merchandising.
Another work week starts, another shot at getting back to what is now normal. It's been a month since the attacks. We go on. Everyone knows someone who was lost on that day or afterward, or is a hostage, or is fighting. Those whose jobs still exist go to work. Most of the buses still run.
Headlines and emails carry new messages. The newspaper of the local economy starts a series on "HR at War." My favorite local dance company is offering free workshops on singing and movement healing. They're at their Ecological Art Village and their center in the capital, though not at the Dance Center that I love, in the next city over.
I get a survey from the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption asking how I'm doing as a fairly recent immigrant, and offering help in my language. I wish they'd been able to do more for my friend who moved here two months ago and is now back in the USA.
Our city has been projecting art and short films about the hostages on buildings' outside walls, both downtown and closer to the coast, where the rich people live. Outside the next city's art museum, people gather in shifts to paint the hostages' portraits from photographs. Printed images of our city's two hostages are posted everywhere here. This time, they have spelled "Kidnapped" correctly.
A WhatsApp message announces nationwide vigils for the hostages, each weekday at 4:30 PM. Our city's is at the Soldiers' Memorial, across from City Hall. There are dozens of others scheduled around the country.
In the city next to ours, there's a round-the-clock vigil outside the Defense Ministry. Families plan to sleep there until the hostages are released. In a moment yesterday that reminded me of Occupy, a group of people stole items from the camp. Unlike in Occupy, they were caught, and the items were returned.
I continue on with work, trying to get things done. There and at home, I find that I'm easily losing track of what I'm doing and having to double back to complete what I forgot. At work, I manage to plow through on a project through the morning, until I'm interrupted by another supposedly urgent task. I never get back to what I had started doing. At home, I cook a simple supper, but have to keep remembering the next step. I'm better when I'm working with other people, but on my own, I drift off into the Ethernet. My kitchen is a mess. (How do I keep writing these posts? Because I feel like I am working with all of you who are reading and responding to them.)
In a chat online, a friend who I haven't seen in some thirty years asks me how I'm doing. She's good at asking probing questions. She asks how far away the fighting is. I tell her it's pretty far, fifty miles or so from here. She says she's about to drive that far to meet someone for lunch. I somehow end up talking about my last conversation with my mother.
TV news tells of a sense of shame among senior army officials for failing to protect citizens from the attacks. "We hope to die on the battlefield," they say to the survivors, "because we are ashamed that we abandoned you. We are dying of shame as it is, so at least we’ll die in an effort to protect you as needed and to restore your sense of security. We promise you that we will win this war.”
The newspapers say that our government is continuing to fumble everything. Our Heritage Minister (whatever that is) said that nuking the area across the border might be an option. The Prime Minister wanted to fire him. But an extremist on the coalition wouldn't cooperate. As in the States, a tiny group of the extreme right wing have maneuvered into a position where they can have their way.
The Prime Minister said that the protests by Reservists earlier in the year helped lead to the terrorist attacks. Another member of the War Cabinet quickly tweeted, condemning his remarks. Then the Prime Minister said that he didn't say that.
Some of the people who were protesting before the war have resumed their rallies, gathering outside the Prime Minister's residence, demanding that he resign. He says that he isn't going anywhere.
It's good that people in general, and those lower in the ranks in government, are trying to get things done. The people at the top don't seem to know what they're doing.
Maybe, like the former guy in the White House, they'll try throwing paper towels at the problem.
Feel free to forward the newsletter to other people who might be interested.
Here’s an archive of past newsletters.
You can find me via email, Bluesky, Mastodon, Facebook, and, just out of inertia, X/Twitter. There's more about me and my books, music, and films at josephzitt.com.
The newsletter’s official mailing address is 304 S. Jones Blvd #3567, Las Vegas NV 89107. (I’m in Israel, but if physical mail comes to me there, it’ll get scanned and emailed. I don’t expect that to happen much. If you want to send me physical mail, ask me for a real address.)
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L'hitraot.