Israeli Poets As Change Agents Session 3
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ISRAELI POETS AS CHANGE AGENTS Congregation Beit Simchat Torah Lehrhaus Judaica Fall 2020 RABBI REUVEN GREENVALD ([email protected]) WEEK THREE: ISRAELI ARABS USING HEBREW POETRY TO ASSERT SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IDENTITY AYAT ABOU SHMEIS Ayat Abou Shmeiss was born in Jaffa in 1984. Her mother, who was illiterate, insisted she get the best and broadest education possible, and as a result she completed her schooling at the French Jaffa school College de Ferrer, and speaks five languages: Arabic, Hebrew, French, English and Spanish. She is the לס אלמ תופש ) second of four children. Her first book of poetry, A Basket Full of Silent Languages also a ,( נא י הז נש י םי ) came out in 2013, in both Arabic and Hebrew. Her second, I Am Two ( תוקתוש bilingual volume, was published in 2018. Abou Shmeiss, who writes in Hebrew, won the Emerging Poets Award from the Israel Ministry of Culture in 2015. She has stated that she is constantly asked about this choice, whether simply because it seems odd to write in a language that is not one's native tongue, or because it is akin to "sleeping with the enemy". Abou Shmeiss says it was only years after beginning to write in Hebrew that she acknowledged that it is indeed a form of colonialism or occupation, but that it came naturally for her to write in Hebrew – to her Arabic is a holy language, the language of the Quran, and she would be diminishing it by writing her everyday thoughts and feeling. Yet, after she writes her poems in Hebrew, they are translated into Arabic so that her published books can be bilingual. In the poem that gives the title to her second book, I am Two, we get a sense of the how language and identity play out for her (see next page): 1 ִנֲא י ֶזה נְשׁ ַ י םִ I am two ֶקלֵח א ֵֶקְולח ב Part 1 and part 2 ַצד ָדֶאח ְָודצ נֵשׁ ִ י One side and the other side נְשׁ ֵ ֶםהי ָדגֻּנְמ יִם Both of them in conflict אַךְ ִנֲא י ָהוְֹקרב ְנִלשׁ ֵ ֶםיה But I am close to both of them " ֹבּ רֶ ק , ָמה ְנִע יםִנָי , ,boker1, mah inyanim2“ ְדַחמ ָהְלילִ , וו הָלאָ hamdilelah3, walla4 ֶרֵדְבּס , ָהְָילאל be-seder5, yalla6 ָאתָמָסל וּק נ ִ י ֶרֶשְׁבּק " ”salamat7 quni8 be-kesher9 ֶהְוז ֵקַלְּחִמת ַגּם " ָָלאםְלס יֵוָּכּםלַוע ְַַותבּשׁ םוֹלָשׁ " -and that also divides into “le-salaam we ָכּל ַהֲהפ יםִָכ ְֶהפּנַּה יםִָכ ֶהֵלָּהא יֲִנַוא ָםכוְֹבּת aleikum10 ve-shabbat shalom11 All these opposing opposites and I am in them 1 Hebrew: “morning” short hand for boker tov, “good morning” 2 Hebrew expression that is best translated as “what’s up?” 3 Arabic: “Thank Allah” 4 Arabic: “by Allah” and is used in Hebrew slang for “wow.” 5 Hebrew: “okay” 6 Arabic: lit. “O Allah” but it in colloquial Arabic and in Hebrew slang it means “hurry up” 7 Arabic lit. “may you be well” and used in colloquial Arabic and Hebrew as a greeting. 8 Arabic: “I will be” 9 Hebrew: lit., “in connection” here it means “in touch” like in the phrase, “I will be in touch” 10 Arabic: “peace be unto you” like the Hebrew shalom aleikhem. 11 Hebrew: “sabbath peace” 2 רוּק ְ ס ִ מ שְׁמ ָ ל ִלוֹפוּ ִטי קי הָ רְשִׂיְבּ לֵאָ A Government and Politics Course in Israel יִיתִיָה ָהיִָּבֲרָהע I was the only Arab יִתְמְלֻסַהמּ Muslim ַָלַהפ ְִסט ני ִ תי ָהידְִחיַּה ָהִתּכָּבּ . .Palestinian in the class ֹז את ֹל א ַםַעַהפּ ָהִנאוֹשָׁהר נֲאֶשׁ ִ י ָהידְִחיַּה This wasn’t the first time I was the only one אַךְ ַםַעַהפּ ָהיָה וֹשׁ נ ֶ ה but this time it was different ָםֻכּלּ מאָ ְ ר וּ ְסרוַּקּהֶשׁ ֶהזַּה ֶהָקשׁ they all said this course was difficult וּנִּכּ וֹוֹאת וֹשׁ האָ ”they called it “shoah12 ִמְבּח ַתניִ ֶרמַֹהח because of the material ֹל י ֶרמַֹהח ָהיָה ֶהָקשׁ אַךְ ֹל א ְמ ֹא ד it was hard for me but not so much ָמה ָהֶשׁ י הָ ִלי ֱֶמתֶבּא ָהָקשׁ but what was really hard for me ֶזה ֶתֶבָלשׁ ָהִתּכַּבּ ְִֹעְומלשׁ ַ וֹאת ָ ם . .was to sit in the class and to listen to them ֶאת ֶהְחנַַהמּ , ,To the instructor ָלֲאב ָרִקְּבּע ֶאת ְוּדטַהסּ יִםְטֶנ but mostly to the students רָבְכֶּשׁ ַבִּמּפ ָשׁגְּ ִןאוֹשָׁהר מאָ ְ ר וּ לוְֹבּק ֶאת ֶםֵיהֵדּוֹעת who already in the first session would say וֹתיִּיטִוֹלַהפּ their political opinions aloud ְֶהחַַנְומּה מאָ ַ ר ְכּ ֶד ֶרךְ גּאַ ַ ב וֹא ֹלֶּשׁ א and the instructor said by the way or maybe וּהֶשׁ א ֵתרֵשׁ ָָבאְבּצ ִבְרִבּק ָי not וֹזכ ֶ ֶת ר רֹוּעִשׁ ָדֶאח ָדֻחיִבְּמ that he served in a combat unit in the army וֹבֶּשׁ וּנַּדּ וַּבּטִמּע יְִבַרָהע I remember one lecture in particular ֶשׁםָשּׁ לַֹהכּ ַרֱמֶנא לוְֹבּק ָרם . where we were discussing the Arab minority ָכּל ָוֹתאיִשְׁלַהקּ מּה ְ ֻח ְס ָפּ ס וֹ ת ָֻוֹסְבַּתכְומּה .and there everything was said loudly ָלֲאב ָםלוֵֹמע ֶזה ֹל א ָהיָה ָכּל ָכּךְ ְפּר ָ ִט י , ָכּל ָכּךְ ִא ני ְ ִימִט י . All the coarse and washed-out clichés ַעד רִהֶשׁ ַתְּשׁגְּ ִ י ָכּל ָהלִּמ ָהְדֻקדּ ְָמתִשׁנְבּ יִ . but it had never been so personal, so ֶהְחנַַהמּ יםִָמְעִלפ ָהיָה ִגֵמ יב , ַקְּמת ןֵ ִיםָרְדּב , ִיָםְמִעפְול .intimate ֹל א , ַקְּמת ןֵ Until I felt every word encoded into my soul. ָלכְבּ ֹז את ֵישׁ וֹל ֹח רֶמ ריֲִבַעְלה ַןְַמזְּוה ֹל א וֵנָתוְֹלבט . ּ ,The instructor would sometimes respond יֲִנַוא ָכּל ָמה ָצרֶשׁ ִ ִתי י ֶזה ֶשׁסּ ףוֹ ִוּרעַהשּׁ יִעַיגּ ַ ,correct something, and sometimes not יְֵכּד ֵאתָלצ ָהִתַּכֵּמה regardless he had material to teach and the ְנַתְלה ִ ַיע ֶאת ַוֹענְַטַהקּ רֲֹזְַוחל לאַ ָָיאאפ . :time was not to our benefit And I really just wanted the lecture to end in order to leave the class to start my moped and return to Yaffa13. Translated by Reuven Greenvald. The poem appears in I am in two (Hebrew & Arabic, 2018). 12 Hebrew: “catastrophe” and is the Hebrew word for “The Holocaust” 13 She uses the Arabic name for the city of Jaffa whereas in Hebrew it is called “Yafo” 3 ( ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל לוֹמ ֶ ֶ ד ת ) (I don’t want to write about homeland) ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל לוֹמ ֶ ֶ ד ת I don’t want to write about homeland ְוֹאל ַעל ָהָמֲאד nor about land ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל ֶזוּהת נֶּשׁ ִ ג ְ נ ָהבְ I don’t want to write about identity ְוֹאל ַעל ְָהדָיל נֶּשׁ רֶהֶ גְ הָ stolen ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ nor about a girl who was killed ַעל ָהָלְפַּהשׁ יִדּוּכּ וֹא ַסַכּע I don’t want to write about humiliation ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל פאַ ְ ל ָ י ָ ה oppression nor anger ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל האַ ֲ ָב ה I don’t want to write about לֶשׁ ָע ִיְרב ָהִיּיִווּהד discrimination וֹא ִיְיוּהד ָהִיְַּבְורע I don’t want to write about love ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל ִיוּדְיתד ָאָהְלֻמפ between an Arab man and a Jewish ְוֹאל ָםְסת ִיוּדְיתד woman ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל וֹםֲחל לֶשׁ םוֹלָשׁ or a Jewish man and an Arab woman ֹל א וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל ףאַ וֹלח ֵ ם I don’t want to write about exceptional ְואַף ִגּוֹרבּ friendship וֹרצ ָ ה בְֹתִּלכ ַעל ִיםֳרִפַּהצּ nor any friendship ֶשׁ ֹלּ א ַָמַבּשּׁ ִים I don’t want to write about a dream of גֶּשׁ ָ וּרְז ֶםָלה ֶאת ִםיַָפנְַהכּ peace I don’t want to write about any warrior nor hero I want to write about the birds not in the sky because their wings were clipped Translated by Reuven Greenvald. The poem appears in I am in two (Hebrew & Arabic, 2018). 4 ( ִאם יָה ִ יִית ָאִאמּ ָהיִּוּדְהי ) (If I were a Jewish mother) ִאם יִיתִיָה ָאִאמּ ָיְּיהוּהד ִ If I were a Jewish mother ִייִתָיְוה רְצ ָהכיִ ְֹלִלשׁ ַח and I had to send ֶאת ִנְבּ י ָאָבַלצּ my son to the army יִיתִיָה ֶתֶמְחִנל I would fight I would sew יִיתִיָה וֹקשׁ ֶ ֶ ר ת my tongue to his ears ֶאת ִנְלוֹשׁ י זְלאָ ָנְ וי I would glue my hand יִיתִיָה ָהיְקִבַּמד ֶאת ִיָיד to his legs ַגרְל ָלְ וי I would hang my heart יִיתִיָה לוֹתּ ָ ה ֶאת יִִלבּ on his eyes ַעל ָניֵע וי ֹלֶּשׁ א יֵלֵךְ so that he won’t go Translated by Reuven Greenvald. The poem appears in I am in two (Hebrew & Arabic, 2018). 5 ( ֶזה ֵֶרְדסבּ ) (It’s okay) ֶזה ֶרֵדְבּס It’s okay תּאַ ָ ה לָֹיכ ֲֹרַלה ג you can kill ָלֲאב ַרק ִאם ֵישׁ לְךָ וֹרב ֶ ה but only if you have a rifle ְָואַהתּ וָּלבשׁ ְבַּמדּ יִם . .and you are wearing a uniform ףאַ ָדֶאח ֹל א ְָארִיק לְךָ No one will call you ַלֵבְּמח . .a terrorist ֶזה ֶרֵדְבּס It’s okay תּאַ ָ ה לָֹיכ ֲֹרַלה ג you can kill ָלֲאב ַרק ִאם ֵישׁ לְךָ וֹסָמט but only if you have jet ִֵטֶשׁמּ לי ָהָצְפּצ ַלַמע ִנִמְב ים . .that drops a bomb on buildings ףאַ ָדֶאח ֹל א ְָארִיק לְךָ No one will call you וֹרצ ֵ ַח . .a murderer ְְוּארִיק לְךָ ִגּוֹרבּ They will call you a hero ְוּנִתּיְו לְךָ וֹאת וֹהק ָ ָ ר ה And they will pin a ribbon on you14 ָלֲאב ֵםַחִתּנְת But don’t take comfort ִכּ י ָכָּכה That’s the way it is ֶזה בֹרְבּ וֹתניְִמד ָםוֹלָהע . .In most countries in the world Translated by Reuven Greenvald.