June 7^th

Sammy’s parents invited us to the theater but we never quite expected to be treated to such an extraordinary experience. We went to see a performance by “Na Lagaat” (Please Touch) a troupe of deaf, blind, and deaf-blind actors. It was an example of supreme goodness embodied in awful art. We were moved to tears in spite of the show’s sentimentality and clumsy execution as we were witnesses to an enormous triumph of the human spirit.

We were completely uncomfortable throughout the performance, which was truly pathetic in the truest sense of the word. In it, though, the smallest human yearnings attained a gigantic dimension when seen from the “darkness and silence” of the actors’ lives. There was an uplifting dignity in giving these people a voice, even if their show was, to quote Joan Acocella, “beyond criticism.”

That evening we were also joined by Sammy’s nephew Shmulik, and having coffee before the show we heard some hair-raising stories about his service in the army in a first response team helping citizens during the bombings in the north during the 2006 war.

In Israel the authorities take great care of the psychological well being of the citizens: if your house is bombed, for example, a team comes immediately to assess the damage and order the necessary materials and labor for repairs, another team takes you to stay in a hotel for a few nights, where you get counseling and all your needs met. In two days your house is fixed and you are sent home as if nothing had happened!