Zionist to the End
A Zionist to the End: Itzhak Artzi - Autobiography by Itzhak Artzi with Nava Semel A Zionist to the End is the autobiography of one of Israel's most respected public figures, a man whose whole life was shaped by the great Zionist saga of the twentieth century. Written with his…
Hymn to the Bible
A rich and marvelous collection. Daring and un-prettified contents. The innovations that this book heaps upon us are manifold. The rhyming is sophisticated, delightful, but also demands contemplation and investigation, with its dazzling use of the different layers of Hebrew, both ancient and modern. Nava Semel’s attitude to the heroes…
Flying Lessons
Monsieur Maurice Havivel (The meaning in Hebrew is "Beloved by god") immigrated to Israel from the island of Djerba - off the shores of Tunisia. Deep in his heart he kept the secret of the flying Jews, who had come two thousand years ago to that remote spot, carrying on…
Out of the blue, they told me that Grandpa was coming the next day, and I never ever knew I had a grandfather. How could they have kept such a secret from me? I figured he must have vanished somehow - though I didn't say so. Apparently a person could disappear just as easily as your favorite toy and then show up when you least expected it, after you'd lost all hope. He vanished years ago and my father went to America to bring him back. After six months, Daddy returned with a brand-new grandpa and a green used car named Plymouth. Nobody else on our street owned a car. Nobody had a gas stove, either. In our kitchen, of…