Jerusalem…
Jerusalem… a holy city… or a very holy city… a lot has changed in the demographics of this city in the last half century… it is therefore more adequate that I stay with the times and look at my life in the late sixties…
In those days there was a state of euphoria… the mood was much less bellicose and the whole population… Jews… Arabs and Haredi (Religious Jews) were learning to live with each other… with respect.
I remember having some cabinets done in my kitchen and sitting and drinking coffee with the carpenter (the one in via dolorosa) who was a Christian and his helper, who was a Moslem and me the Jew… sitting quietly sipping the coffee together…
Back to school… I enjoyed being a student where the major worry is to finish a paper… or study for an exam… we were still going to the movies… we saw “Yellow Submarine” and “Woodstock”… “A Man for All Seasons” and “Tora Tora”…
As new immigrants we had the right to an apartment from the Jewish Agency… so off we went to stake our claim… we were told to “Get Married First”… and I said “What guarantees will you give me… that I will get the apartment then…” “You give us an apartment and we get married”… we played tug of war for a few months… then I got the call… I ran to the Jewish Agency (luckily only a dozen blocks from home) and was given an address… “You will get this apartment if you get married within two weeks”… I went to see the apartment and liked it…
Next… I called my mother (who was living in Haifa) and told her we would be getting married the next Tuesday… “I am busy Tuesday… I have a cocktail party”…said my Mom…
So I said… “OK let’s make it Wednesday”…
At this moment Orit walks in and says “What’s new…”
“We are getting married next Wednesday… and we have an apartment” said I….
Jerusalem… a holy city… or a very holy city… a lot has changed in the demographics of this city in the last half century… it is therefore more adequate that I stay with the times and look at my life in the late sixties…
In those days there was a state of euphoria… the mood was much less bellicose and the whole population… Jews… Arabs and Haredi (Religious Jews) were learning to live with each other… with respect.
I remember having some cabinets done in my kitchen and sitting and drinking coffee with the carpenter (the one in via dolorosa) who was a Christian and his helper, who was a Moslem and me the Jew… sitting quietly sipping the coffee together…
Back to school… I enjoyed being a student where the major worry is to finish a paper… or study for an exam… we were still going to the movies… we saw “Yellow Submarine” and “Woodstock”… “A Man for All Seasons” and “Tora Tora”…
As new immigrants we had the right to an apartment from the Jewish Agency… so off we went to stake our claim… we were told to “Get Married First”… and I said “What guarantees will you give me… that I will get the apartment then…” “You give us an apartment and we get married”… we played tug of war for a few months… then I got the call… I ran to the Jewish Agency (luckily only a dozen blocks from home) and was given an address… “You will get this apartment if you get married within two weeks”… I went to see the apartment and liked it…
Next… I called my mother (who was living in Haifa) and told her we would be getting married the next Tuesday… “I am busy Tuesday… I have a cocktail party”…said my Mom…
So I said… “OK let’s make it Wednesday”…
At this moment Orit walks in and says “What’s new…”
“We are getting married next Wednesday… and we have an apartment” said I….
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