last days, last rites

the beginning of the end.

These past few months have been a mess, in all honesty. I endeavoured to learn and grow, build solid foundations for my future here, but now that the circle is closing, I look around me and see it for what it is: just a circle. A circle of confusion, of inactivity, of laziness, of frustration, of hope, of joy, of secret smiles, of love, of an intense love for both man and land and nation and language, of new friendships, of awkwardness, of non-communication, of self-focus, of learning, of leaving, of longing, of living in Jerusalem. As a tourist. For six months. Dividing my time between Haifa and the City of Gold. Dividing my time, my life, my body and my mind, between relationship and friendship. Between Australia and Israel. Between homes.

This is my last week here in Jerusalem. As a tourist. Living in the German Colony, a three minute walk from Emek Refaim, from the restaurants, the coffeeshops, the movies, the bars, the craftstores, the bakeries. I lived in a quiet corner of Jerusalem, where a leafy garden, the centre of Merkaz HaMagshimim, helped make many memories of mine during that time: Birthday Wine and Cheese party, Shabbat lunches, quiet discussions, wine sessions on the veranda.

Who knows where I'll end up next? However one thing remains to be sure - next time I return to my city, I'll be an Israeli citizen.

Understanding the Media

A man in Paris saw a pit bull attacking a toddler. He killed the pit bull and saved the child’s life. Reporters swarmed the fellow to cover the story….
“Tell us! What’s your name? All Paris will love you! Tomorrow’s headline will be: “Paris Hero Saves Girl from Vicious Dog!”

The man said, “But I’m not from Paris.”
Reporters: “That’s OK. Then the whole of France will love you, and tomorrow’s headline will read: “French Hero Saves Girl from Vicious Dog!”

The man said, “I’m not from France, either.”
Reporters: “That’s OK also. All Europe will love you. Tomorrow’s headlines will shout: “Europe’s Hero Saves Girl from Vicious Dog!”
The man said, “I’m not from Europe, either.”
Reporters: “So, where ARE you from?”
The man said, “I’m from Israel.”
Reporters: “OK… Then tomorrow’s headlines will proclaim to the world:
“Vicious Jew Kills Family Pet!!!”

Now, do you understand the media?

It's been a while...

Ok. So it's been quite for some time. Almost a year. Well, half a year. All silent on the Sarah front. This hasn't been because I've been unconnected to the blogosphere, rather, I have been keeping busy reading blogs than writing.

My plans to go and join the center of my Jewish world in Israel are still going strong - my obsession with the culture, its politics and its quirks has reached some incredible heights. Even when I returned from my short stint over the summer, I felt I had to indulge myself and rent some Israeli movies. Well, perhaps in the midst of the stench of the Gaza war, I was craving to see something in which the Israelis/Jews were the heroes, rather than our usual paltry Hollywood Jewish stereotype of the snivelly victims.

So I rented Munich.


The video library doesn't stock many quality Israeli films. And I didn't have the patience to sit through Exodus. Besides, I was thirsty for blood. Not Paul Newman (though his sauces aren't half bad).

Other recent Israeli films that make me less home-sick (well, it's not exactly MY home yet, but I suppose one could say that it's the home of the Jewish people? No. That's sounds like crap.) are Noodle and Eskimos of the Galil.

Noodle was another great Israeli film. they're pumping them out nearly every year. Quality acting, tight writing and screen shots. Loved it. It even made me cry.
And then I wanted to eat Chinese food.


Eskimos took me a while to get through. Slow, dull, punctuated with some really moving scenes of kibbutznik alterkackers being abandoned by brash Israeli capitalism. Another snapshot of the multi-faceted society of Israel. What joy.



What else have I been doing? Reading. Reading at work (but that's work...), reading blogs about Israel and Operation Cast Iron Lead, and reading Beaufort. The book. I must've raved about the movie when I saw it last year. The book is fantastic. Traumatic, an invaluable gain into the fierce passion of some serving soldiers, it definitely is a personal and cathartic reading journey.

I've added the Israeli blogs I've been following - I advise you to have a sticky beak around the Jewish blogosphere, it is such a diverse community.

Ok. Welcome back to the end of the world.

S xx