HaShem Street in Haifa, a large corner stone house with several entrances. "Beit Karman" named after the owner. A rich Arab who built the building and enjoys rent from dozens of apartments and shops located in the building. First floor three-room apartment. Climb one floor in the stairwell to the left, the door to the Cohen family's apartment and to the right the entrance to our apartment. A three-room apartment that houses three families who do not complain.
The kitchen shared by all is actually a tiny kitchenette that was barely enough today to serve two customs officers for tea. In front of the room doors there are two more doors. One for the bathroom and it has a sink, a bathtub and a narrow and tall water boiler, with the bottom of it being an alcove for putting in wood for kindling to heat the water for bathing. The second door leads to a small cabin with the toilet and that's it. Those who managed to push in could use the toilet for the purpose for which it was installed. This entire complex had to serve three families, but was barely enough for gold without the three bears.
No one is complaining, everyone is happy with the existing. There is no second or third Israel. We moved to this apartment when I was a one-year-old toddler. Bertha and Hans, the neighbors, brought Hadassah to the world. Hadassah made me a game partner on the condition that I wouldn't hit her too hard. It didn't happen often because she was smaller and weaker than me and probably already then I understood the well-known saying that strength is the law. Another friend lives on the floor above the Cohen family, his name is Nabil.
Christian Arabs who were popular with all the tenants in the building. I did not raise my hand on Nabil for three reasons. One is a son, the second is older than me and the third I strove for peace between the nations. At his house we played a lot because they lived alone in an entire apartment, and his father even had a convertible car. One fine day they loaded several bundles on the car and disappeared. I couldn't understand what I had done wrong for such a close friend to suddenly disappear like that.
The conduct of life in a rented three-room apartment where a family, parents and children live in each room. Kitchen and toilets are shared by all. And the English are seen in every corner. No one complained. Haifa 1945 Refugees arrive from Europe, survivors of the Great War. When only a few arrive, only those that the British mandate imposed, or qualify on a secluded beach in the dead of night. There is no money and enough apartments have not yet been built, so everyone makes do with little.
The main bathing day was Friday. I arrived from kindergarten and was quickly sent to wait in line for the bath. The fire burns under the boiler and the water heats up slowly. Father brought pieces of wood from the carpentry to heat the water. Good-heartedness did not allow us to bathe without a queue. The neighbors put an ear through the door, listening to the consumption of the hot water. There should be enough for everyone.
Thursday afternoon, mother has to do shopping for Saturday and asked me to stay a little while alone. I didn't like the word alone, but I was probably ashamed to say so. Groceries for Shabbat is a small bag, so the whole shopping will take about half an hour. After all, the entire size of the grocery store fits in today's supermarkets, with difficulty, for the 'knocked' olives section with lemon and garlic.
I took a colorful picture book, lay on my stomach in the coop bed with my head up, looking at the pictures for fun. In the process, I flailed my legs and hit the mattress. Suddenly I saw a figure. Someone strange and menacing sneaks up on me. I started shouting in frustration and it didn't help that I saw little Hadassah smiling and mocking me from the balcony. Who knows if this is not a messenger on her behalf coming to avenge my tyranny.
It wasn't until Berta Ima of Hadassah from the next room entered the room that I calmed down. I was not able to explain to her that out of the corner of my eye I saw the lifted leg and the end of the shadow on the wall and all this together created a real figure that came to harass me and what wonder I was calling for help. Everyone would drive just like me. It is well known and famous among the children that there are characters who come to hurt and frighten and until we grow up and become strong enough, we must be afraid and shout. These are the rules of the game. If the muzzles of the British tanks did not frighten, then what shadow on the wall would?
One day I went down to play in the yard and did not find any children around. Is this reason enough to give up on a game? I was allowed to stay alone in the yard while promising at dawn that I wouldn't leave it even if I got a toffee candy or an English chocolate waffle. The balcony of our apartment was on pillars and between the pillars someone had left some large stones. There I chose to play until the middle parted with another game. Someone approaches me not even offered a lemon waffle and starts encouraging me to try to pick up one extra large rock. He spoke with a foreign accent to me. It was an Arab laborer passing through the area looking for work.
With his encouragement I pulled the stone and began to lift slowly. With a supreme effort I reached my knees and then I fell. After all, it was clear that after the peak of the lifting, the stone would fall to the ground in a free fall. After all, in the first lesson of geography in five dimensions in space, this is studied as a basic starting point. But I am not yet familiar with the laws of gravity and the stone in its descent met the little toe of my left foot.
I'm not going to describe my abilities with screams. The cheerleader gave up a job opportunity and disappeared for a second. I was left screaming alone without any company. Those who haven't heard me scream haven't heard them scream. I didn't understand yet that pain is an inseparable part of life and that's how I reacted. A well-known process of panic, neighbors, pain, bandages, a fallen nail began and finally I returned to my strength as expected. The screams did develop my eyesight but I did not become an opera singer as requested.
During this period I took my first steps in architecture. Our balcony, which was shared with Berta and Hans' room, often caused territorial conflicts between me and the little Hadassah. Dividing areas was my first job in the profession and without payment. Every time the conflict between us renewed, I divided the balcony according to the paving lines and marked a horizontal line that neither of us was allowed to cross. Today I have to admit that I did not act completely honestly and I used my age and my professional knowledge in order to cheat Hadassah a little.
Mother learned English. Once a week the teacher came. 'Yaka' who was paralyzed in half of his face and his mouth is deformed. It scared me a little and made me quiet during class. I played on the side and glanced every now and then to make sure he wasn't advancing in my direction with his menacing face for some violent purpose. I would not advise him to assault a child, it could destroy his teaching career.
My father also had a tutor every week. Saxophone teacher. The teacher was a little angry with my father because all his preparations for the lesson amount to two hours of music on Shabbat. The love for music outweighs the lack of time and money and my father tried to persevere. He inherited exactly my character. As they say, the tree doesn't grow far from the apple. I loved Dad's music lessons. I sat on the side and listened to the teacher's comments and explanations.
Father worked in the British army and exchanged the packs of cigarettes given on the ration, for one pack of chocolates a week. Mother took apart the pack and divided it into cubes. One cube after eating. Perhaps the thought of the bonus waiting for me improved my appetite somewhat, but I didn't get fat until I was released from my military service and at all, with the exception of a two-year period in which I tried to eat everything that came to my mouth in order to feel what sumo fighters experience. I quickly regretted it and returned to my weight.
When I was lying in the coop having trouble falling asleep, my mother would hum and sing me a song in Yiddish about "My Town Belz" and when she got to the chorus I started crying. My mother thought that maybe I was hungry or a genius who already understood the foreign language to me. The truth is that I cried because of the very sad melody. There is a recording by the well-known cantor Moisha Oesher from 1937, but I chose a later performance by Dodo Fischer and after 1:03 D of the verse the tearful chorus begins.
My parents' and my Shabbat walks, dressed in their best, were held on Herzl Street when I drag them all the way to Arlozorov Street. The goal is a toy store with a small display window that displays all the toys in the store, nine in number. In the corner lay a small toy violin that caught my attention. Although my parents promise to buy it, I do not let go and am not tempted by other tools and toys that were presented to me. With great persistence I got what I asked for and indeed I was involved in my life on several levels in the world of music.
Thanks to Ran and Doron.
charming
Cute article