Black Box (16 page)

You really saved me from reform school but only on condition I agreed to Kiryat Arba because theres an optics workshop here thats OK for me but the rest of it isnt OK at all. The religious studies Im not intrested in at all and as for girls you never see them here. Well only in the distance. The men do try to be nice (some of them) and to do favors all very nice but why me all of a sudden? What am I a religion freak or something? I dont like the way they talk about the arabs here behind there backs (some of them). OK maybe its true once an arab always an arab so what? They could say the same about you once Michel always Michel so what? Thats not a reason to look down on people or to make fun of them. Im against making fun of people. And Im against you looking after the money that belongs to me and Ilana the money from America and running my life for me. You run Ilanas life to but thats her problem. Do you think your G-d Michel?

Now I supose youll rite me that Im biting the hand that feeds me but youre hand never fed me nothing Michel. All the time Im working and earning money. The money that youve got is mine and that means Im feeding you! I want to ask you too favors that you give me some money and permission from the police to leve hear and if you want to no were to? the truth is I dont no. So whats rong with wandering round some before you decide were to settle down. Didn’t you wander round in Algiers and France and Israel before you decided? The candy rappers in the envelope are for Yifat take care not to crumpel them and tell her there from me Boaz. Hi Ilana dont worry about me. Please tell him to pay me some of my money and fix it up for me to leve hear so as I dont get into more trouble for hitting people.

Thanks Boaz B.

***

To Boaz Brandstetter (c/o Schulvass)
Ancestral Homeland Street 10
Kiryat Arba

By the Grace of G-d
Jerusalem
13th of Tammuz 5736 (17.7.76)

Dear stubborn and rebellious wise-guy Boaz!

More than anything else I am pleased with your progress in the optical department and because you are earning your keep honorably and participating in the rebuilding of the Land and going from strength to strength and even volunteering as night guard two nights a week. All this is on the credit side. Well done. But on the debit side, my heart bleeds at your slackness in your studies. We are the People of the Book, Boaz, and a Jew without Torah is worse than a beast of the field.

Your letter was very poor (a) in its spelling and style and (b) in its content. Like a backward child’s! The reason I say this, Boaz, is precisely that I am very fond of you. Otherwise I would long ago have let you go to hell and there’s an end of it. It would appear that you are even more of an ass now than you used to be, and all you’ve learned from your troubles is how to go looking for more trouble. As it is written: “Though you should bray a fool in a mortar yet his foolishness will not depart from him” (Proverbs 27:22). Wisdom, Boaz, does not go according to weight or bulk; otherwise Og the giant king of Bashan would be considered by us the wisest of men.

I have done a lot for you, far beyond what I had to, and you know that, but if you have made your mind up to leave Kiryat Arba and to go and do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, then let’s see you, go ahead, who’s stopping you? What, have I bound you with a chain? Please yourself. Go. We’ll see how far you get with the spelling of an Arab and the hooliganism of a gentile. You’ve already passed your bar mitzvah, thank God, and so you’re no longer subject to our authority. So why not? Go ahead, follow in the footsteps of your dear father and see what happens. Only don’t come running to Michel for relief and deliverance. Deliverance I can understand, but you have the cheek to ask me for relief as well? And since we are on the subject of relief, in other words the money that you so unwisely mentioned in your letter, that money really and truly does belong to your mother, you, and Yifat in three equal parts, and you Boaz shall receive your share from me in full when you are twenty-one and not a day sooner. If your dear father had wanted you to have the money right away, who was to prevent his giving the check straight to you, instead of to me? So it would seem that despite everything he knew what he was doing, more or less, and he gave me the responsibility over you. And if you don’t like it, please feel free to turn to him and lodge a complaint against me.

In general, as far as I am concerned, Boaz, you can do whatever you like, you can even turn into an Arab if you are on their side. Only do me a favor and don’t try to teach me what an Arab is. I grew up among them and I know them well. You may be surprised to hear me say that the Arab is fundamentally very positive, he has many noble characteristics, and in his religion there are many fine things that were taken straight from Judaism. But bloodshed is very deeply ingrained in their tradition. What can we do, Boaz? It is just as the Bible says about Ishamel: a wild man, whose hand is against every man and the hand of every man is against him. In their Koran it is written: the faith of Muhammad by the sword. And in our Torah it is written: Zion shall be redeemed by justice. That’s the whole difference. Now you choose which of the two suits you better.

For the last time I urge you to take yourself in hand and not to heap wrong upon wrong. Next Tuesday afternoon we are having a birthday party for your sister. Come home the day before, help your mother a little and make the little girl happy. She loves you! I am enclosing a postal order for six hundred pounds for you. You asked me for money, after all. And don’t worry, Boaz, I am not deducting this from the inheritance that I am looking after for you until you grow up. You will also find in the envelope a picture of a dog by Yifat, only it came out with six legs.

Listen to me, Boaz: Let’s consider your letter as if it had never been written, shall we? Call it null and void? Forget it ever existed. Your mother sends you her love, and I shall sign off despite everything with friendship and affection,

Yours,
Michel

***

To Lt.-Col. Prof. A. Gideon
Political Science Department
Midwest University
Illinois, Chicago, USA

Hi!

It’s Boaz Brandstetter writing to you. You know who I am. I got your adress from my mother because Mr. Zakkeim wouldnt let me have it and from Michel Sommo I dont want any more favors. Not from you neither. So Ill be brief and come strait to the point. You gave some money to Michel Sommo for me. I found out about it from him and also from Mr. Zakkeim who told me to go and get it from Michel. But Michel wont give me the money. On the contrary. Every time Ive got into trouble he helped me but the money he takes for himself, he only left me a few pennies and he also wants to tell me what to do and what not to do. Now I am living in Kiryat Arba working and earning money in a optikal workshop but its not the place for me and its none of your bussness why. What I want is for nobody to tell me what to do and what not to do. Now: if you really gave the money to Michel Sommo then Ive got nothing more to say and this letter is canceled. But if you meant it for me then why didnt the money get to me? Thats all I want to ask.

Boaz B.

***

To Boaz Gideon (Brandstetter)
c/o the Schulvass Family
10 Ancestral Homeland Street
Kiryat Arba, Israel

Chicago
23.7.76

Dear Boaz,

I got your short letter. I won’t be long either. You want to be on your own and not be told what you should or shouldn’t do. I accept that. As a matter of fact, I wanted exactly the same thing but I wasn’t strong enough. I suggest we forget for the time being about the money that is presently with Sommo. I have two possibilities for you, one in America and one in Israel. Would you like to come to America? Make up your mind and you’ll get a ticket. I’ll fix you up with somewhere to stay and a job. Maybe even in optics. Eventually you can also study whatever interests you. If you want to repay me the cost out of your pay here, you can. It’s not urgent and it’s not compulsory. But take into account that in America you’ll have a problem with the language. At least to start with. Also that here nobody has cousins in the police.

The alternative is that you can have at your disposal a large empty house near Zikhron Yaakov. At present it’s in poor condition, but you have an excellent pair of hands. If you gradually make a start on restoring the house, I’ll pay you a fair monthly wage and I’ll cover all the expenditure on building materials, etc. You can invite anyone you like to live with you in the building, which is standing abandoned at the moment. There’s a lot to be done there. There’s scope for some agriculture. And it’s not far from the seaside. But you’ll be free to do only what you want.

Whether you decide to come to America or to go to the house in Zikhron, all you have to do is to see a lawyer by the name of Roberto di Modena. He is in Jerusalem, in the same office as Mr. Zakheim, whom you know and visited once. Pay attention: Don’t go to Zakheim. Go straight to di Modena and tell him what you have decided. He has already had instructions to implement your decision at once, either way. You don’t have to reply to me. Be free and strong, and if you can, try to judge me fairly too.

Your Dad

***

A
GIDEON MIDWEST UNIV CHICAGO

HAVE MADE THE REQUISITE ARRANGEMENTS FOR BOAZS INSTALLATION IN THE PROPERTY THERE WERE SOME FORMAL DIFFICULTIES WHICH IM SEEING TO I GAVE HIM THE SUM YOU FIXED FOR PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS IN FUTURE SHALL PAY HIM MONTHLY AS PER YOUR INSTRUCTIONS HE HAS BEEN IN ZIKHRON SINCE YESTERDAY MY PARTNER IS BOILING WITH RAGE ROBERTO DIMODENA

***

GIDEON MIDWEST UNIV CHICAGO

MACHIAVELLI DONT FORCE ME TO FIGHT YOU THE PURCHASER IS NOW PREPARED TO PAY ELEVEN FOR ZIKHRON PROPERTY UNDERTAKES TO EMPLOY BOAZ THERE ON MONTHLY WAGE YOUR AGREEMENT REQUIRED INSTANTER CONTINUE TO CONSIDER MYSELF YOUR FRIEND THE ONLY ONE YOUVE GOT DESPITE BITTER HUMILIATION MANFRED

***

PERSONAL ZAKHEIM JERUSALEM ISRAEL

ZIKHRON PROPERTY NOT REPEAT NOT FOR SALE ROBERTO REPEAT ROBERTO HANDLES ALL MY AFFAIRS KINDLY HAND OVER ALL PAPERS TO HIM GO ON TRYING YOUR LUCK WITH SOMMO YOU POOR MANS IAGO WILL YOU TRY TO HAVE ME PUT AWAY ON MOUNT CARMEL YOUR GRANDCHILDREN ARE STILL IN MY WILL WATCH OUT ALEX

***

Ilana Sommo
Tarnaz 7
Jerusalem

1.8.76

Ilana,

You say I don’t understand anything. It’s always been the same story: Nobody can understand you. So be it. I am writing this time only because of Boaz and because of Michel and Yifat. Michel phoned me last night and told me that Boaz is leaving Kiryat Arba and going to live by himself in the ruined house in Zikhron. So Alex had decreed. I begged Michel not to try to interfere. I promised that Yoash would go to Zikhron at the weekend to see what’s going on and how we can help. Maybe you’ll admit now, if only to yourself, that you made a mistake when you got in touch with Alex again.

I’m wasting my words. You’ve got the urge once again to play the tragic heroine. To star all over again in a new performance. Even though Alex is stealing the show this time too. If you can’t manage any other way, the two of you, why don’t you get up and go and look for him in America? Michel will rise to the occasion and make an excellent job of bringing Yifat up by himself. In time he’ll find himself a woman from his own circle. Boaz will have an easier time too. And we’ll do the best we can to help from here. You’ll finally be completely redundant, if that’s your secret wish. Because what’s the point in going on with this reversal of the old refrain “My heart’s in the east, and I’m in the furthermost west”?

It goes without saying that I’m not trying to persuade you to go. On the contrary. I’m writing to beg you to try to think again. To take yourself in hand. Try to tell yourself that Boaz doesn’t need you. As a matter of fact, there’s not one of us he really needs. Just try to understand that if you don’t stop yourself now, Yifat will grow up exactly the same. Not needing anybody. What is it that drives you to throw away everything you have for the sake of something that doesn’t and can’t exist?

Of course you can reply sarcastically. Tell me not to stick my nose in. Or not reply at all. I only wrote because it is my duty to try to stop you, even if there’s not much chance. So that you won’t cause even more suffering to those you are still dear to.

I suggest you bring Yifat here to Beit Avraham for a week or two’s rest. You can work in the storerooms for four hours a day. Or spend the mornings at the pool. You could help Yoash in the garden. After lunch we can take the children for a walk to the fish ponds or to the pine woods. Yifat can be fitted into the crèche. In the evenings we can sit on the lawn with neighbors and drink coffee. Michel is also invited, at least for the weekends. And I promise not to tinker with what according to you I can’t understand. If you like, I’ll listen and say nothing. If you like, we’ll go to the macramé class or the classical-music group. From here everything will look a little different. And I also suggest that at this stage Yoash and I take charge of contacts with Boaz. What say you?

Rahel

***

Professor A. Gideon
Political Science Department
Midwest University
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Jerusalem
2.8.76

Dear Alec, genie and bottle both,

Don’t go on writing to me via Zakheim. Your baldheaded troll no longer amuses me. Just write to me by mail. Or come out and show yourself. Or call for me to come to you—I’m still waiting for an invitation to your wedding with air ticket enclosed. Just say the word and I’ll come—I’ll even bring you a faded bouquet of flowers from Jerusalem. It’s nearly a month now since you were planning to take some little secretary by storm, and I still haven’t heard the wedding march. Or have you lost your charms? Your masculine battle scent? The fortune you inherited from your father? Your dazzling world fame? Your hypnotic aura of death? Has all that really rusted like tin armor? Did the beauty turn you down? Or perhaps you still haven’t learned how to propose to a woman without your father’s help?