You’ve still got time to visit a Tel Aviv beach this winter. To get you in the mood, host Marcela Sulak reads Rachel Chalifi’s poem ‘Tel Aviv Beach Winter ’74,’ translated by Alexandra Meiri. Here’s an excerpt:

The sun is a faded photo.
Shore birds peck greyly at the sand.
The muscles of the sea groan.
A solitary woman in a nylon
scarf. What is she,
against a thunderstorm?

Chalfi was born in Tel Aviv, the daughter of two poets. She studied in Jerusalem, then Berkeley, and finally Los Angeles, before returning to Tel Aviv where she married a writer – ending as she began. To date, Chalfi has published 15 books of poetry and a collection of short stories. She has won the Prime Minister’s Prize, the Bialik Prize, and the prestigious Brenner prize, amongst others.

Marcela ends by reading ‘A Witch Practically,’ in which Chalifi explains why being a “witch” is a little more mundane than you might think.

Text:

Kaleidoscope: Three Poets from Israel. Mosaic Press, 2014.

Music:

‘Stairs of the Unknown.’ Composed by Eitan Steinberg, sung by Etty BenZaken, inspired by and with text from three poems by Raquel Chalfi.

Producer: Laragh Widdess
Technical producer: Adam Sher