Yonathan Geffen was a hero poet to me. I came to israel in 1978, as a teenager and had highest hopes of someday living in a land where peace reigned. And yet. And yet. Through thick and thin, I remained steadfast in my belief that we all just want peace and if we just become good friends, we can make it… and yet. Not “dayenu” but, “and yet.” I saw a meme/post yesterday that said : “it’s been 6 months and the shiva isn’t over yet.” I left the country a few years after Rabin was assassinated. It was the first major crack in my faith. I trusted that the poets, the shalom now movement, the good people, all my friends and I would find a way to make it work. It hasn’t worked, it isn’t working, Yonathan Geffen died - he knew even back then what I didn’t - the censorship tells us lies that we believe “for our own good”… the education I received in the army about “officers go first” and “no man left behind” and “sacrifice yourself to save others” can only go so far with such a government as “we” have now in Eretz Yisrael. I am not yet an anti Zionist, I don’t support the riots of the other side, but I do cry for their losses, no matter who is to blame. Let’s use our words as weapons, let’s cry for Bibi to go home. Let’s demand the hostages be allowed to come home already. Enough. Dayenu.
Lovely photo and terrific piece of writing. When will we ever learn? (Just listened to Peter Paul and Mary singing 'Where have all the flowers gone?' They sing 'When will they ever learn', but it's really we, always we who need to learn.)
Thanks again Etgar, and for sharing your fa-in-law with us. He sounds like a treasure.
That’s a piece of treasure. Thank you.
It’s funny to think that this is kinda moderate for news nowadays 🤷♀️
History shows that an eye for an eye makes both sides blind.
Yonathan Geffen was a hero poet to me. I came to israel in 1978, as a teenager and had highest hopes of someday living in a land where peace reigned. And yet. And yet. Through thick and thin, I remained steadfast in my belief that we all just want peace and if we just become good friends, we can make it… and yet. Not “dayenu” but, “and yet.” I saw a meme/post yesterday that said : “it’s been 6 months and the shiva isn’t over yet.” I left the country a few years after Rabin was assassinated. It was the first major crack in my faith. I trusted that the poets, the shalom now movement, the good people, all my friends and I would find a way to make it work. It hasn’t worked, it isn’t working, Yonathan Geffen died - he knew even back then what I didn’t - the censorship tells us lies that we believe “for our own good”… the education I received in the army about “officers go first” and “no man left behind” and “sacrifice yourself to save others” can only go so far with such a government as “we” have now in Eretz Yisrael. I am not yet an anti Zionist, I don’t support the riots of the other side, but I do cry for their losses, no matter who is to blame. Let’s use our words as weapons, let’s cry for Bibi to go home. Let’s demand the hostages be allowed to come home already. Enough. Dayenu.
Older!- yes, but with crystal clear vision.
THANK YOU, Etgar for sharing this precious messianic shard.
A remarkable piece.
His vision has all the clarity of hindsight. Remarkable analysis.☮️
The wrong people read writings like this. So true. So well expressed.
Here we are 2 generations later and things are worse.
How do we move into a new kind of reality?
Lovely photo and terrific piece of writing. When will we ever learn? (Just listened to Peter Paul and Mary singing 'Where have all the flowers gone?' They sing 'When will they ever learn', but it's really we, always we who need to learn.)
Thanks again Etgar, and for sharing your fa-in-law with us. He sounds like a treasure.
uh oh Etgar!
Pls what did the Ma‘ariv censoring say, please?
i‘m sorry i‘m analphabet oooh
Thank you for sharing this rare treasure! I especially enjoyed seeing the original Hebrew with the scribbles.
Wow! His voice is sorely missed. BTW, I'm an Israeli around your age and even I don't recall hearing/reading Dov Goldstein and Rafael Bashan...
Tom Friedman 4/21 NYT: "Israel's Endless Loop: War, Timeout, War" - Isn't that what you and your father-in-law are saying?
BTW - It's easy to see why Shira choose you; you're a writer and you look like her father (especially the eyes).
ממש נביא. אנשים אינטליגנטים ראו! We miss him and his wit 😥
I like the line about Flavius Josephus. We seem to have so many of them in the world today.
Nothing has changed and no lessons learned^^