When Anger Doesn’t Work: Part 2

by Jerry Waxman

To recap: There was a day like any other day that was meant to go well. 1)I was to go to a school and get a job. 2)I was to settle things with the rav who owns the kollel where I have been working – and that settlement would mean my getting paid in some way for work I’ve done, and an agreement on what I’d be doing in the future. 3) I was to get started on a project with my Bnei Menashe friends. Everything was supposed to go right.

While the early morning looked promising, the less early morning was a reminder of everything I needed to get away from. There was constant banging and buzzing from construction in neighbors’ rooms. There was a stench coming from an outdoor sewage problem. And my roommate – with his brand of hygiene – was ever-present.

In mid-morning I went to the school, and the security guard told me to come back at 3:30 pm. [End of Recap]

In the interest of realism, I think I’ll just list everything that happened, and save the commentary for the end.

After walking away from the school, I called the rav of the kollel and asked if I could meet with him then. The rav was too busy and told me to come to him at 2:00.

By coincidence, Pe-er, my Bnei Menashe friend called me. He wanted me to check some problem he was having with his computer. I wanted to talk with him about a project I had in mind. We agreed to meet at the shuk in about an hour.

I went to the shuk, and didn’t see Pe-er. Prices at the shuk seemed higher than last week, but I found a deal on some fruit. And took it home. While at the shuk, I talked with a man selling bread. I asked him if he had something that tasted bad for my friend. He laughed, and it was the second time that day that I noticed I was letting a roommate occupy my thinking – a sign of deep resentment and frustration.

Pe-er called while I was at home, and by coincidence he was right outside. So we walked to his place, about 2 km away.

I talked with Pe-er about the project I had in mind. He said it sounded good, but he didn’t seem to have any energy to put into it. I spent some time on his computer trying to figure out a problem with Yahoo. In the end I was not able to help him resolve the problem.

Results: All that walking, and all that time spent on the computer, and nothing accomplished.

Went to the rav at 2:00 pm. As usual, I started off with an idea I had for bringing money to the kollel while giving some Bnei Menashe folks a chance to work and learn and make money also. Now the rav had just spent some 20 minutes yelling at someone. So when he laughed when I proposed the Bnei Menashe project – well, I guess it took his mind off whatever he was yelling about a few moments before.

End results with the rav: He said he’d get a caravan for me to live in on the grounds of the kollel. Fast forward to the next day – he did nothing about getting a caravan. And his son did nothing about helping me move a refrigerator and other heavy things into the kollel. I decided to fire them both the same day. But of course I haven’t told them.

After seeing the rav, I went to the school. I told the secretary that I wanted to see the director. She took my resume and said I didn’t need to see the director. She gave my resume to someone else — who might call me. . . .

End results of the day: Frustration. ready to jump out of planes.

Well, there is one more saga to get to. This one gets exciting. Don’t miss it.

School Days and Friendly Kids

by Jerry Waxman

The kids went back to school a few days ago – September 1, to be exact. It’s easy to see how this changes the schedule of the whole town. Whether or not there are school kids in your household, there are several schools for different age ranges scattered around the city. That makes for certain surges of car traffic and foot traffic early in the morning and in the afternoon.

The excitement and noise level around my apartment has also changed. There are a few schools in the vicinity. It is not uncommon to see groups of teenage girls wandering around, in the park across the street, or just walking down the road. It is not uncommon to hear the shouts or just plain loud talking of Israeli kids when they play around in the area.

Today, I had occasion to see my friend, Pe-er, from India. (He and his family are from the lost tribe of Menashe – commonly called B’nei Menashe.) Unfortunately, his health has not been too great – keeping him from having a regular salaried job. Anyway, as we walked to the shuk (outdoor market), he told me he had to meet with a moadon, a clubhouse, where his boy will go after school every day. Cost of about $45 per month.

It seems that most, if not all the kids belong to a moadon. They have activities and things to keep them busy after school. Good idea, don’t you think?

As we walked to the shuk, we passed a school, where the kids were playing outside. Recess, I suppose. A group of girls – about 10 years old – yelled out their helloes to us from behind the fence. I asked them if they were in prison. They held onto the fence and said, “Yes.”

After another minute of small talk – even a few words in English (“Furu furu furu furu“) – Peer and I went on to the shuk.

I don’t know why, but it struck me as unusual that the kids would be so friendly with strangers passing by. But maybe it shouldn’t have. Sderot is still a small city, where people who’ve been here long enough know each other. And as long as there’s a fence separating the prisoners from the outside world, why not strike up a conversation.

My friend, David, was taking pictures of another school today. Someone in charge told him to stop taking pictures. I suppose it made someone nervous. And maybe they don’t want any type of suspicious activity while students are there. That would make sense, wouldn’t it. The students have already had years to deal with abnormal threats; maybe the sight of some stranger taking pictures of their building makes them nervous.

Another thing happened. After the shuk I walked home. On the way, I saw a man walking with his boy, who looked to me to be about 7 years old. As I was about to pass them, the boy turned to me, smiled, and said, “Shalom,” like I was an old friend. So I began talking with him like he was an old friend.

Turns out they are another Bnei Menashe family from the state of Manipul. They have just moved down from Maalot because there was no work there. Why they came to Sderot – where work is also hard to find – I don’t know. But I suspect he came because he has other Bnei Menashe friends here.

Well, that’s all there is to say today. The advent of a new school year changes the atmosphere. And Sderot is suddenly a lively place at certain intervals of the day. And when there is no apparent tension imposed from outside threats – the people, notably the kids, can be very friendly.