J A

Recommendations

Info

JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 crockery, as she whimsically adds. Such little absurd details reveal the artist in her playfulness, her sense of humour. Apart from a playful humour, in which she probes the boundaries of self-expression, Gwen van Embden is not frivolous; there is a total absence of cynicism or irony in her work. As an academic, she is forever questioning, and as artist is in the process of evolving towards realms as yet unknown yet fermenting within her creative being. Her work is powerful, and also disturbing, and bears witness to a titanic inner struggle whose source lies in her womanhood. NOTES 1 Gwen van Embden. Interview with the author 19. 6. 2015. 2 Jung, C G, Mandala: Bilder aus dem Unbewussten. Olten, Switzerland, (1977) 3 Gwen van Embden. Blue Mary. Handwork for keeping the Home. Master of Fine Art dissertation, 2000, Interview Insert. 4 Submitted November 2002 5 e-mail to the author 5 May 2015 6 Neumann, Erich, Die Grosse Mutter. Eine Phänomenologie der weiblichen Gestaltungen des Unbewussten. (The Great Mother: a phenomenology of the feminine configuration of the unconscious). Freiburg i. Breisgau, Walter Verlag, 1974. 7 Zornberg, A G, Bewilderments: Reflections on the Book of Numbers. New York, Schocken, 2015, p108. 8 Van Embden, Gwen, Blue Mary: handwork for keeping the home. Master of Fine Art thesis, University of Cape Town, Michaelis School of Fine Art, November 2000. op.cit. 9 Letter to the author, 5 May 2015 10 Gwen van Embden. 2000: 2 11 Ibid., 8 12 Laetitia Pople, ‘Waar onwaar’, Beeld, 18.8.2002 13 Jolly, Lucinda, Arty fact: ‘Celebrate the book in a new, visual way’, review of exhibition Walking the Book: A new way of looking at our heritage, National Library of SA, Queen Victoria St. Tonight, 28.5.2001:5; Anonymous, ‘Walking the Book at the National Library of South Africa: 4 May – 27 July, The Cape Odysses, 2001; Stagg, Cathy, ‘Visit Walking the Book and exercise your mind’, Tygertalk, 7. 6. 2001 14 Interview with Gwen van Embden, 12. 6. 2015. 48
JEWISH JEWISH AFFAIRS AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH Chanukah 2012 2015 RIFKA * Bernard Levinson The snow is falling. Heavy indolent Fur hats. Enormous fur blankets. They are drunk snowflakes. Rivers of snow slowly form between and roar with joy as they spill into the snow. The the dark Abie, wooden Abie, Abie houses. my The boy, village of Soligalich moon dances on the bells and glass beaded harness is covered Vot are in you a blanket vaiting of for snow. now? Berel Chaitovich of the horses freed from the sled. In minutes the is a You tailor. promised He a small to marry man. me, He has sometime a tight in crisp June, sled is lifted. The horses re harnessed and beard. It’s An never elaborate too late, skull and cap. it’s never Wired too rimmed soon! contained. The men climb into the sled singing. glasses All the cling family to the tip of his nose. His wife The falling snow muffles the singing and shouting Brocha Keep is on a large h’asking woman. me, An imposing monobosom. Vitch Solid day? oak Vot thighs. day? Her long hair crushed The snow is falling. A frozen sun tumbles over as the sled dissolves into the cold darkness. into I an don’t enormous know vot bun. to They say have … ten children. the snow covered roofs. And then the cold moon. Rifka Abie, is Abie, the sixth Abie child. my boy, She lives in her own A single candle burns in the small cottage. Berel world. Vot Each are you day she vaiting wanders for now? between the houses Chaitovich, his wife Brocha and all the children in the village. In response to a command in her are asleep. There is a banging on the door. Berel secret world, Rifka takes off her clothes. The wakes and goes to the door. Four soldiers enter Zaideh Zalman sings along with me as we sit next to each other, me perched high on a big market square is her stage. Neighbours bring the dark room. Berel is a small man. He is minute Rifka cushion, home the smiling. swing-seat Vacant. on the Everyone stoep rocking in the and next scraping to the as soldiers. he booms They out carry the long words rifles. and The my village little-girl knows voice Rifka. dances on top of his. And when we family finish are the all song, awake. we laugh They and are laugh hidden because in the we The sound silent so funny snow singing is falling. together. The few trees shadows. Berel Chaitovich stands at the door surrounding the village have become * white * * * * * surrounded * * * by soldiers. The spokesman steps grotesque ghosts. forward. On My the mother other and side I of live the world at Zaideh the city Zalman’s of Leeds house. I “Last have night,” never lived he shouts, anywhere “the else. Count The lost Deeb his exerts family a are magnetic our next-door tug on men neighbors. and their Every families day I hear wallet! Mrs. Someone Deeb and in her this mother-in-law village must shrieking have this from at one all another over Eastern in Lebanese, Europe. as The they English hang looms up the washing wallet! The on the Count clothes-lines had an accident criss-crossing in his sled.” their are back busy. yard. England Zaideh is the Zalman home says of the that’s new booming why Mr Deeb leaves Berel Chaitovich home so early nods. in He the is morning totally accepting. – before textile it’s light world. - and Leeds comes is the back seething from centre his business drawingso late. If the soldier had said that the Count was at this tailors Dina from lives the here old too. world. She Lithuanian arrived about tailors. a year ago, moment and now standing she is on like the a roof part of of their home, house. Berel My Polish Ma says tailors. she’s Russian “family”, tailors. but she It is seems snowing to me the like Chaitovich the upright would piano have in the nodded living-room, his head. covered Yes, night with Berel a faded Chaitovich fringed and shawl. his wife No Brocha one ever vanish lifts that everything shawl. No-one is possible. lifts And the so.... lid of its keyboard. from The living-room the village is of locked Soligalich and its with dark-red their ten velvet curtains “The count stay has closed. lost his Once wallet. a month There was Jim, a our lot children. servant, unlocks He is able the to door pay for and their lets passage in daylight and while of money he swishes in the wallet. around It with is most a feather-duster. important to findI they try to arrive get in there city when of Leeds. he cleans, because I have the so wallet. many questions Has anyone to here ask found about the what’s wallet?” there. I wish Count I could Boris play Ignatievich on that piano. Mironov When is Jim’s the finished The dusting soldiers he look closes menacing. the curtains, They and stare as into he landlord locks the door of the I can large feel Vlodavky the darkness province. settling back, the thick shadows. and dark-red Silence. It like is so the still curtains. they can hear Soligalich Zaideh is never one of goes the villages into that in his room. serfdom. If he Ashas the visitors, candle they splintering sit on the light stoep on the in front dark of walls. the he house passes in summer, in his elaborate in the sled dining-room accompanied if the by weather Rifka is steps cold. out My of the mother darkness. pours tea and offers his the soldiers sponge-cake it is imperative she bakes for every everyone Friday, to with look icing-sugar “I found on the wallet.” top – always the same cake. I down. asked Eye her contact why she is doesn’t an aggressive bake act a different and couldkind of All cake eyes sometimes, are on Rifka. like No the one chocolate is breathing. cake TheI provoke had at my a friend highly Lulu’s aggressive house, response. but she didn’t Count answer soldiers me. grip I know their by rifles. now Rifka that begins when my to undress. mother Mironov doesn’t answer, owns everything. it’s because He she has all can’t the understand power. She what has I mean layer upon – so layer if it’s of important, clothing. Finally I must she ask He Zaideh is feared Zalman. by everyone. is naked from the waist up. Large pendulous It is snowing when his sled overturns. Turning breasts. There is a roar of approval from the Dina has never had a visitor that I can recall, and when people come to visit Zaideh, she sharply the horses stumble. The sled lurches and soldiers. They nudge each other. They slap their falls stays over. in her The room. sled is She filled comes with out men. to Fur have coats. tea after sides. they They have know left. Once Rifka. I They heard have her whisper witnessed to my mother, in Yiddish, that she should try using this bigger undressing eggs for many her sponge-cake. times. They throw Dina up hasn’t their Bernard Levinson is a distinguished South African hands laughing. They slowly leave. They are poet Dr Eugenie whose Freed work has (Isserow) appeared is a Research in numerous Fellow laughing in the Dept. in the of street. English at the University of the scholarly Witwatersrand, publications where she taught and anthologies. for many years. She Rifka has published continues a to book undress. on William The wallet Blake is and in Professionally, continues to publish he is scholarly a psychiatrist, articles based on a variety in her of literary voluminous topics. underpants. In recent years, she has also Johannesburg. been trying to learn how to write publishable fiction. The snow is falling over Soligalich. 49 1
Page 1 and 2: J EWISH A FFAIRS F
Page 3 and 4: We wish our Jewish customers a Holi
Page 5 and 6: 810860/fdv Chag Sameach. We hope yo
Page 7 and 8: VOL. 70 NO. 3 CHANUKAH 2015 Edito
Page 9 and 10: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 Frida
Page 11 and 12: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 I dra
Page 13 and 14: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 The F
Page 15 and 16: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 dim B
Page 17 and 18: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 my he
Page 19 and 20: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 Birzh
Page 21 and 22: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 welfa
Page 23 and 24: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 the J
Page 25 and 26: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 Edito
Page 27 and 28: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 in th
Page 29 and 30: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 that
Page 31 and 32: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 On Ro
Page 33 and 34: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 was p
Page 35 and 36: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 His c
Page 37 and 38: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 What
Page 39 and 40: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 “Th
Page 41 and 42: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 clear
Page 43 and 44: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 “It
Page 45 and 46: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 Mothe
Page 47 and 48: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 of th
Page 49: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 From
Page 53 and 54: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 to be
Page 55 and 56: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 to le
Page 57 and 58: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 I had
Page 59 and 60: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 The M
Page 61 and 62: JEWISH AFFAIRS Chanukah 2015 Marke
Page 64: Bringing light to your legacy. Wish

J A

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?