Early in the morning, with the sun barely rising, earlier than my mornings with Rocky when we head out together for the beach or the gardens or even the streets of our neighbourhood, that place which is home, I had stood in the lovely square in the centre of Turin, the streets deserted still, and I thought of Rocky and I hoped that he somehow knew our walking days are not over.
Glad to see Primo Levi’s grave is being looked after. When I visited Turin last, about 10 years ago, I found his grave with difficulty and it seemed rather neglected.
If there is a Gehinnom Louise Adler earned a place there for all the good she’s doing.
What a wonderful piece. I have no doubt that Primo Levi or Liliane Segre or any other writer who supports Israel would be invited to any festival that Louise runs. Turin is a beautiful city. I hope you manage to get to Pitigliano which has a lovely old synagogue. The Jews were saved by their Christian neighbours during the war. Louise is a lost cause. It is a travesty that her piece is printed without any opposing piece to go with it, or after it, or at all...Then again, the Age cartoons are filled with anti Israel bile as well so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.
I shared the article on my FB and it was removed bc FB said I breached guidelines by saying it was a ' must read" etc. So I reposted with "I recommend this brilliant piece " and again it was deleted. Third time lucky - will try to share and not comment. WHAT is going on with FB?
An excellent piece. I have just finished reading 'The Truce", Pt.II of Levi's Auschwitz series. These books are essential reading and go a long way in explaining the necessity for Jews to have a place in the world to call home.
Thank you, Michael, for this piece of writing. I just concluded a 2-year research on the Gentilli family, from my same home town of Mereto di Tomba in Italy, who perished in Auschwitz. They were deported to Poland from Fossoli di Carpi on the same day (Feb 22, 1944) in the same train (Convoglio 8) with Primo Levi. May their memory be a blessing. Denis
Thank you again Michael. Now is the time to say I applied to be director of Adelaide Writers Week after Jo Dyer left. I applied because I believed it to be the best writers' festival in Australia, and I had for quite a few years been invited (by Laura Kroetsch then Jo Dyer) to chair panel discussions, including (and especially) on difficult topics related to race/culture and gender. I wasn't interviewed for the role, I am not sure if anyone else was, there was no feedback. I haven't been invited to chair any panel at AWW since then. I only mention this because had I been interviewed and appointed, I would have programmed differently on the questions you have explored in your book and through this substack. This comment here is not about 'me' - in some ways I am relieved that professional option was closed off, I mean Adelaide isn't Belgrade, is it - but it relates to my really deep concern about the state of public conversation in Australia on difficult questions including the crisis around Israel and Gaza. And to the consequent and very dangerous degradation of civil society. Writing as a non Jew, to be clear.
Beautiful, moving, nuanced, as usual Michael. Forget about Louise, she is incorrigible ( and loves the drama )
Oh please. Heard of irony?
Beautiful and heart wrenching. Thank you for speaking up with such erudition about what it means to be a Zionist Jew today, Michael.
So moving and heartbreaking and so beautifully written.
Thank you for your piece.
Glad to see Primo Levi’s grave is being looked after. When I visited Turin last, about 10 years ago, I found his grave with difficulty and it seemed rather neglected.
If there is a Gehinnom Louise Adler earned a place there for all the good she’s doing.
What a wonderful piece. I have no doubt that Primo Levi or Liliane Segre or any other writer who supports Israel would be invited to any festival that Louise runs. Turin is a beautiful city. I hope you manage to get to Pitigliano which has a lovely old synagogue. The Jews were saved by their Christian neighbours during the war. Louise is a lost cause. It is a travesty that her piece is printed without any opposing piece to go with it, or after it, or at all...Then again, the Age cartoons are filled with anti Israel bile as well so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.
Your comment as to whether she would invite Levi to her writers' festival subtly but scathingly puts Adler in her place. Thank you
Adler has no shame
I shared the article on my FB and it was removed bc FB said I breached guidelines by saying it was a ' must read" etc. So I reposted with "I recommend this brilliant piece " and again it was deleted. Third time lucky - will try to share and not comment. WHAT is going on with FB?
An excellent piece. I have just finished reading 'The Truce", Pt.II of Levi's Auschwitz series. These books are essential reading and go a long way in explaining the necessity for Jews to have a place in the world to call home.
Gawenda would have made a great spokesperson for Hitler - "the streets are free of Jews!". Words hurt, even when the intention is different.
I’m sorry you were hurt. It was meant to be ironic. Didn’t work for you obviously.
Thank you, Michael, for this piece of writing. I just concluded a 2-year research on the Gentilli family, from my same home town of Mereto di Tomba in Italy, who perished in Auschwitz. They were deported to Poland from Fossoli di Carpi on the same day (Feb 22, 1944) in the same train (Convoglio 8) with Primo Levi. May their memory be a blessing. Denis
Denis thank you for this message. I am deeply touched.
I wrote about them in a recent article on The Jerusalem Post. See link below:
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-809804
Thank you again Michael. Now is the time to say I applied to be director of Adelaide Writers Week after Jo Dyer left. I applied because I believed it to be the best writers' festival in Australia, and I had for quite a few years been invited (by Laura Kroetsch then Jo Dyer) to chair panel discussions, including (and especially) on difficult topics related to race/culture and gender. I wasn't interviewed for the role, I am not sure if anyone else was, there was no feedback. I haven't been invited to chair any panel at AWW since then. I only mention this because had I been interviewed and appointed, I would have programmed differently on the questions you have explored in your book and through this substack. This comment here is not about 'me' - in some ways I am relieved that professional option was closed off, I mean Adelaide isn't Belgrade, is it - but it relates to my really deep concern about the state of public conversation in Australia on difficult questions including the crisis around Israel and Gaza. And to the consequent and very dangerous degradation of civil society. Writing as a non Jew, to be clear.
Great piece. It will be very interesting to see what Louise Adler conjures up for next year's AWW.
thank you Michael.