A poet from Jerusalem spoke about the military crisis in Israel: “Former Russians react more calmly”

– Evgeniy Aronovich, what city in Israel do you now live in and where were you on the morning of October 7?

– I live in Jerusalem. I woke up at 6:30, heard pops in the sky, and realized that the Iron Dome was working. This happens all the time, we are used to shelling. But all the horror came later, about which much has been written. I was at home all day. A little later we went to the store and did some shopping.

– Have you worked out the rescue algorithm, have you packed your emergency suitcase? How far is the shelter from your home?

– There are no algorithms. If anything, put the flash drive in your pocket and run, if I have time. Bomb shelter near my apartment. but I don’t go there during raids.

– Are you and your loved ones okay? Are you relatively safe now?

– None of the relatives or authors of “Literary Jerusalem” were injured. (Evgeniy Minin – editor-in-chief of the magazine, – I.V.) I’m always at home. Sometimes I go for walks to the sports town – I am prescribed to play sports.

– Has the situation in your area stabilized? How are things going with water supply, electricity, communications, food? Are medical facilities open?

– In my area everything is fine, everything is there. The only thing is that there are fewer people on the street. Today EVERYTHING is calming down. I just visited the clinic – there are quite a lot of visitors there.

– Will the October attacks become a theme for your creativity? I understand that there is no time for jokes, but diary or essay entries might appear?

– Regarding creativity, I’m making a new magazine, a book of epigrams with cartoons. Nothing distracts you from all the horrors like being busy. When poems come, then I write.

AT THE COMPUTER

And there in the distance there is war,

sirens burry howl.

From my window

I look at my city:

he sleeps peacefully

climbing high

under God’s fragile shield,

and somewhere far away

rockets in the sky trail,

shooting from dugouts…

And I’m like Archimedes:

“Don’t touch the drawings…”

Pay attention to the date – 11/12/12, eleven years ago.

– Since 1990, when you repatriated from the Soviet Union, has much changed in Israel itself and around?

– Yesterday was the date: 33 years since I’ve been here. During this time, I got used to the fact that there were enemies all around. And that in politics you can’t trust anyone.

When I arrived, there was a big intifada – and this mess continues to this day: constant terrorist attacks with an attempt to kill and murders. Today, twice as many people as needed have come to the collection points. There are huge queues at blood donation sites. At such moments, differences between people disappear.

– I saw posts by figures from the patriotic camp who write that Jews from the USSR need to return, since this is happening in Israel. Do you allow yourself to return if the acute phase of the conflict lasts a long time?

– There is no need to comment on other people’s posts – everyone writes how they breathe. Everyone, including Jews, is looking for a place where it is more comfortable for them to live and easier to do business. Of my three sons, two do not live in Israel. Personally, I have no plans to leave anywhere, although there are opportunities and where to go. And here, by the way, is a very beautiful cemetery.

– Arab coalitions were defeated in the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. Why did Hamas not take this negative experience into account when crossing the border?

– For Hamas, these wars are business. It is easier to shoot missiles than to build cities and subways. Moreover, they have rich sponsors behind them who supply everything they need. It was, and it will be until all the terrorists are removed.

– How has the situation in the country affected prices? Have some categories of goods become more expensive?

– Prices have not changed compared to pre-war levels. We bought cucumbers, cabbage, peaches, vermicelli, salt, onions, milk for the same price. The war is not felt in the rear. The only difference is that those who have children need to buy for future use.

– Do “native” Israelis and people from the post-Soviet space react to these events in the same way? Was there any panicky sweeping of goods from the shelves? During our lockdown, I remember everyone stocked up on toilet paper and buckwheat.

– It seems to me that former Russians react more calmly. As for buckwheat and toilet paper, they are freely available on store shelves. We have a small country, but large warehouses.

– Are theaters, cinemas, and concert halls open? Or is mourning declared for the dead?

– Cultural life has stopped. Only hospitals, pharmacies and grocery stores are open. But today there are no bombs, and everything is back to normal.

– Can laughter and poetry be considered a “shield” from terrible reality? Or is she a mirror reflecting her?

– Poetry cannot be a shield. The poet’s poems contain what he feels, letting his experiences pass through him. I have a series “Alien” about the Northern Military District, but there is not a single line about the current war: the horror of what happened “closed the valve.” And humorous poetry and prose are what is hidden in the serious, and one must be able to see what is hidden.

But I constantly remember the Soviet-era slogan “Peace to the world.” It’s sad that humanity has forgotten these words, although I have no doubt: everyone wants this.