Mrs. Kellerman gave INN this poem on the day of the funeral for the five members of the Fogel family, murdered in cold blood in Itamar on Friday night. At her request, we have translated it for English readers.
No one called him by name
No one said “I am ready”
His back held no bundle
Of kindling and wood.
No father's hands on his head
No one begged for mercy
No ram stood in wait
In a thorny hedge.
Just Talmudic singsong
Just an angel’s melody
Age old dialectics
Over opened tomes.
Suddenly the blast came, as a guest does
Parchments burning
Letters soaring heavenward
Then a screaming stillness
And eight smoking sacrificial altars in a row
In the morning, Hallel—but not for us
And a woman gone mad is keening
“It is wondrous in our eyes”
But do “we rejoice in it??”
Notes:
1.The first paragraph alludes to different details in the Biblical story of the binding of Isaac
2. Hallel is the prayer of praise sung on Rosh Chodesh, the first day of a new Hebrew month. The massacre occurred the eve of Rosh Chodesh. The words in quotes are taken from the prayer.
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