If airplanes were meant to fly
When our first child was three, we took him with us on a trip to Canada.“We are going on an airplane!” we told him, much to his delight.At that time, a bus took us from the old terminal building at Ben Gurion airport and drove us to the foot of the plane, where we climbed […]
Discussions with a Muse
“She never married, you know.”The room was quiet, darker than usual, the only light coming from the glow of the screen. I stopped writing and squinted into the darkness.“Who?” I asked.“S… You remember S. Your first love?”I remembered. Some things you can’t forget.“Are we using initials now?”“You never know who’s listening,” she answered.“And I thought […]
Are Canadian writers Canadian enough?
“Are you Canadian enough to understand?” she asked.“That depends,” I responded. “What do you mean by enough?”“That’s a relief,” she said. “I thought you were going to ask me what I meant by Canadian.”John Barber, in an article entitled “Are Canadian writers Canadian enough?” (The Globe and Mail – Oct. 29, 2011), bemoans the fact […]
They sell books in Supermarkets, don’t they?
A well known Israeli writer is selling his new book exclusively through an Israeli supermarket chain. There, nestled between the carrots and tomatoes, you can pick up his book and add it to your cart of groceries. How is he doing so far? He has already sold over 50,000 copies of his book – which […]
What is an Expat like you doing in a place like this?
One of the best things about growing older is that people tend to stop questioning your life choices. Maybe this is because they don’t see you as having much of a life left. The expiration date has passed, and they figure that you are here to stay. But old expat habits die hard. When do […]
Not a proud day to be a Canadian
Vancouver is ablaze. Rioting in the streets. “Canadians rioting?” people in other parts of the world ask. And at that moment you see the flicker of respect for Canadian character disappear from their eyes. You know then that you will never again be able to convince people that Canadians are uniquely different from Americans. And […]
Kibbutz by the Sea
Last week, standing on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, I watched as the sun began its slow descent into the sea. The air was quiet, the colours of the kibbutz slowly changing into an evening hue. Fourteen years. Fourteen years mixed in the salty air, the sound of seagulls, the faint sound of a tractor […]
Home is where the Heart is
“There is no place like home! There is no place like home! ” Dorothy exclaims, clicking her heels together three times, as she is magically transported back to the Kansas farm she calls home.I grew up in the same house in Scarborough, a Toronto suburb, for the first 18 years of my life (minus the […]
The Canadian Passport Blues
I’ve got the blues and they’re definitely Canadian. This all started with the realization that I will soon have to apply for a new Canadian passport. One wouldn’t think that this should cause too much anxiety, and it didn’t, until fairly recently. There was a time, when the Canadian Embassy was still on Hayarkon Street […]
How many political parties are needed to run (ruin) a nation?
Canadians woke up yesterday to a new political reality. The Conservatives won a commanding majority, the Liberals were almost annihilated, the NDP almost tripled their seats in the House and became the official opposition for the first time, and the Bloc Quebecois more or less disappeared from the political map. Israelis can only look on with envy at a […]