February 13, 2024

Joseph Zitt's [as if in dreams] 2024-02-13

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. You can also read this email online here. Here we go...

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A man with a motorcycle helmet walks briskly down the hallway during the afternoon prayers. Most of those praying, standing along either side of the hall, don't notice him. I, for one, welcome the arrival of our lunches.

I had planned on harvesting lunch, as usual, from the supermarket downstairs. I got to work too late to take the time to do that. I had gotten distracted at home by a long article online about Cleveland's 24-hour restaurants.¹

One that I particularly liked when I lived on the West Side had closed during the peak of COVID and never returned. Damn. ²

I see that another, which I frequented on the East Side and which used to be open overnight on Fridays and Saturdays, is now only open on weekdays.³ They had good breakfasts, and the best liver and onions I have ever had.

A tall, white-haired man, coming down the hall the other way, is startled to see us doing the afternoon prayers. He stops, takes a yarmulke out of his pocket, recites the Mourner's Kaddish with the others who are saying it, then continues on.

The local news site tells us that elections are go for February 27th.⁴

I'm continually amused when Google Translate tries to deal with people's names. According to this article, candidates in our town include "Pull out a horn," "Create with me," "Lilac right," and "Second olive."

I'm not sure if we get the day off for local elections. The Cinematheque is acting as if we do. They'll have pre-premiere showings of Dune: Part Two all day. ⁵

I'll be going to the official local premiere two days later, when they're showing it in a double feature with Part One. That will be a long show. I have selected a seat from which I'll be able to duck out to the restroom when needed.

The city has announced a new security system, to be installed in all the schools. As the local news site (via Google Translate) describes it:

"With the push of a button, the ringing of the cell phone or abbreviated dialing on a landline phone - the municipal call center and the security, supervision and police departments immediately receive the exact location of the emergency caller. The system automatically records the call and allows video to be broadcast to the first responders so that they become partners in monitoring and managing the incident. The system analyzes sound, transcribes the emergency call in real time, knows how to identify the type of incident (assault, injury, etc.) and the caller's stress level."⁶

Pretty cool. The US could have used that in dealing with school shootings, if governments were willing to fund it, and if it could handle Americans' greater nervousness about surveillance.

I'm seeing and hearing buzz, both positive and negative, around new TV ads and videos, some of which aired during the Superbowl. There's a statement about antisemitism,⁷ a heartbreaking spot about the dads in captivity,⁸, and an ad presenting a sort of alternate-world fantasy of what could have been built across the border and might still be possible.⁹

A local choreographer has created a striking dance video as a reaction to the massacre at the dance festival on October 7th.¹⁰ YNET interviews him about it.¹¹

Later in the afternoon, I learn on LinkedIn that I have a step-grand-nephew. Good to know. His dad and I follow each other there. He's a killer writer.¹²

A relative sends out a WhatsApp message about the weather. It's a screenshot. Google Translate won't handle it. But the meaning is clear: Here's comes the rain again.¹³

I stop into the small supermarket on the way home and get some staples, just in case. I keep a running shopping list on my phone. All I need are bread, apples, and sardines. I also get some grated cheese that my family has raved about. We'll see.

I get a sachlav at the usual café. It's good to see people who know my name and what I like. In the absence of a true Third Place, at least I have a pausing point on the journey home.

I get home before the rain does. I sit down to write. I put on a David Sylvian bootleg.¹⁴ I'll have to eat sometime.

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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 at that Las Vegas address, 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.