A Wall of Light - Edeet Ravel [14]
With all the television children watch is it any wonder?
I left the kibbutz years ago and the stigma of licentiousness still follows me. It’s completely unjustified.
This is all because not enough money goes to education, it’s all going to the settlements and the religious.
Today’s youth know how to enjoy themselves …
I don’t understand these jocular responses. Even if the relations were consensual it’s appalling. It’s nothing to do with these being homosexual acts. Sexual relations are not for children. This shows one thing only—serious emotional deficiency and specifically lack of parental warmth and attention starting in infancy. And to all those who are cracking jokes: there’s a time and a place.
Ah the kibbutz, the kibbutz! Now everyone’s shocked. They should just think back to what they did as kids to pass the time.
The law prohibits this for the simple reason that sexual acts cannot be consensual for minors and this includes adults who seduce boys who supposedly say ‘yes’. The result is severe emotional damage for the rest of their lives.
The damage occurs when they grow up and face the intolerance of a society that dictates what is right and what should be.
Have all the pedophiles suddenly crawled out from under a rock??
Nu, really! This is nothing new. I grew up on a kibbutz many years ago, these types of events were common. With us the afternoon shower was a laboratory for experimentation; only in our case the police weren’t involved and we had a blast and that’s the way it should be.
Dori
Shoshana says she has a surprise for us. She says because we’ve been so good we’re going to go on a Night Hike. We all begin to shout Night Hike Night Hike! We’re very happy. We rush to put on our pyjamas and slippers.
Finally Shoshana says we can go. It’s hot and dark outside. We walk two by two except for Simon and Elan and Skye who walk single file.
The bushes on both sides of the path have a wonderful sweet smell. You can see all the stars up in the sky and the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. Actually I’m not sure I know which stars are the Little Dipper but I can definitely see the Big Dipper. The handle points to the North Star. In case I ever get lost and I don’t have a compass I can find my way by following the North Star.
We start singing—
Me and he and you
And Yankele Kangaroo
We went out for a walk
So we could have a talk
We walked hallah hallah
Until we met Abdallah
We punched him in the eye22
And he began to cry
There’s another ending—
We walked hallah hallah
Until we met Abdallah
We said shalom
And he began to cry
But that ending doesn’t rhyme. Some of us sing the ending with the punch and some of us sing the ending with shalom.
I know yallah is Arabic and I can also say it with an Arabic accent. Is hallah Hebrew for yallah? If we have a Hebrew word how come we mostly say yallah? Maybe yallah is more for telling someone to move. It’s fun to say yallah. Especially with the accent. Y’allah y’allah! Let’s get going. Y’allah.23
Baby Diary
July 1
She gave up her night bottle. I fed her at 11:30 and also at 4:00, so I’m giving her six feedings. From 6 to 9 p.m. she’s restless. After that feeding she moans, cries, wants to be held. She’s given water and eventually falls asleep. Maybe she doesn’t get enough food at this time or maybe her stomach hurts. During the day and after every other nursing she falls asleep easily, and sleeps very well between feedings.
Dori
Finally we reach the Dining Hall where the adults are having supper. We run to our parents. Daddy and Mummy are very happy to see me. They give me another piece of cake.
Then everyone sings In the Plains of the Negev. I don’t know all the words but it’s about a soldier who falls in the desert. His mother is crying but a tall lad comes over. He calls her Mother and tells her not to cry because her son was brave and fought the Enemy. And without brave soldiers like her son, the Enemy would break us. The song ends—
If you will it friends