Brothels and Politics in Israel

In eleventh grade at regular Israeli high schools exams for non-mandatory courses take place during these days. My grandson Jonathan, a natural multiple-talented young man is a leader in the social-democratic youth movement “Noar Oved VeLomed” (The working and studying youth), he is a serious photographer, a daring skateboarder and for the past two year’s a convincing actor (on stage and at home). He is a member of the school’s drama group. The highlight of that group’s activities is a public appearance, an evening of “dialogues”. Two actors play a scene from a play that they have chosen themselves. The choice is from world classics or Israeli plays. The drama students of the Misgav High School chose scenes of Bertold Brecht, Strindberg, Puschkin, Molière and Israeli Authors like Nissim Alloni. Many of the topics were rather difficult: suicide, relationship between man and woman, sex in the life of orthodox and secular women and battered women. The courage and the open-mindedness of these sixteen years olds to such subjects is remarkable, as remarkable as the level of acting which, under professional guidance, has passed amateur level.

Jonathan and his partner Nofer Melech chose a scene from “Boredom” by Mordi Gershon. My grandson played the visitor to a brothel who just wanted to talk to a prostitute, because nobody listens to him. It was a fist class scene on the psycho hygiene of a lonely man. It ended with Jonathan laying dead on the stage with a knife in his belly.

Jonathan did survive the knife and his grandfather has “gekvelt”, as one says in Yiddish. The day after the performance the student actors took their exams on drama, acting and theatre history.

The difference between a brothel and politics is fluid and often enough hard to find and often not identifiable.

In Israel’s recent parliamentary elections Lea and I voted for the Labor Party and have now been deeply disappointed. The party chairman thought it correct to suggest to Lieberman and his party of fascists to build a government coalition without Kadima, the largest fraction in the new parliament. An outrage within the Labour Party broke out and many that have voted for Peretz were disappointed and angry. It might have been a trial balloon by Peretz to exercise pressure on Olmert’s Kadima Party but even then, the very idea to govern the country with Lieberman (or any other party of the extremist right wing) causes disgust. My disappointment is not against the party but against Peretz, who might not deserve the advance credit he received by many voters. Our disappointment and that of many friends that think similarly is deep – but we are at a loss to think of an alternative to Peretz.

Like my grandson Jonathan in the brothel (on stage, mind you) Amir Peretz might be in need of some psycho hygienic attention.