In honor of the Jewish new year – Rosh Hashanah – and the upcoming day of atonement – Yom Kippur – host Marcela reads poems on these themes by some of Israel’s most exciting poets. She reads “Origin of the World” by the controversial and provocative young poet Noam Partom, which begins like this:

“I hereby close the gates between my legs till further notice
For an unlimited period, due to maintenance.
No bearers of first fruit will come
No pilgrims will make pilgrimage
No prayers made under the empty skies,
Not a single butchered sheep is to be offered as a sacrifice
Upon my tortured holy altar.
The origin of the world was found to be rotten.
All men are corrupt.
All sexual activity – an abomination.”

The podcast also features the poetry of Alex Ben-Ari, a computer engineer who moved to Israel from the Soviet Union when he was three. Plus Marcela reads “A Heart-to-Heart Prayer” by “wordman” David Avidan, a poet who died in 1995 after a long career that had a legendary, liberating influence on the form and content of contemporary Israeli poetry.

Texts:
Poetry International Rotterdam: “I Ask Forgiveness”; “The Most Important Thing in the World”; “Origin of the World”; “A Heart-to-Heart Prayer”

Music:
Michal Tal – Asif
Eldad Zitrin – Dai Im Ze
Hila Ruach – Ari’e
Tatran – My Soul Ghost

Producer: Laragh Widdess
Technical producer: Alex Benish