size and beauty and wonderful skills and the outward appearance of a prince, you have already started to follow your father’s tainted path: arrogance, cruelty, and wickedness. Causing suffering. Violence. Even though in fact I made up my mind not to say a single word to you in this letter about the terrible sufferings you have been causing your mother for several years, so that now she is sick because of you—because as I see it you are still unworthy to be talked to about suffering. Apparently you are simply still too young. At least until you can get up and show like a man that you have some shame in your heart.
And if you have decided to be a second edition of your dear father, then you can go and burn in Hell. Forgive me for those words. I didn’t intend to write them. But a man should not be judged in his sorrow, as it is written. In fact I want to say exactly the opposite: that I am praying for you, that you will not burn in Hell. Because, it’s the truth, Boaz, I have a fondness for you.
So much for the preamble, and now for the main part of my letter. The following is written on behalf of myself and your mother. Both of us.
1. You will go at once to Abram and ask him to excuse and forgive you. That’s the first thing.
2. As long as the Fuchs family, Bruno and Janine, agree to have you stay in the shed in their backyard—why not, you can stay with them. But from now on I’m paying them rent. Out of your father’s reparation money. You shall not live there for nothing. You are not a beggar and I am not a welfare case.
3. It is a top priority with me that you should go now to learn the Torah and a trade at a college in the liberated territories (your spelling is worse than a seven-year-old’s). But this is something we definitely don’t want to impose on you. If you like, we’ll arrange it for you. If you don’t, we won’t. We have a saying about the Torah: “Its ways are ways of pleasantness.” Not ways of compulsion. As soon as your mother is well again I’ll come and see you for a chat and we’ll see? Maybe you’ll agree? But if what you want is to study optics, just tell me about the course or, better still, show me a prospectus, and I’ll pay. From the fund I mentioned earlier. And if by any chance you want to look for another job, come here to Jerusalem, live at home, and we’ll see what we can fix up for you. Only, no crates.
4. All this on the assumption that from now on you are going to mend your ways.
Yours sadly and anxiously,
Michel, Yifat, and Mother
P.S. Please note, on my word of honor: If there is so much as one more tiny act of violence on your part, Boaz, even your mother’s tears won’t help you with me any more. You will walk your evil way on your own and go to your fate without me.
***
The Sommo Family
7 Tarnaz Street
Jerusalem.
Hi. I got your long letter Michel and I foned sorry to Abram even tho Im not sure who should say sorry to who. Also I left a note to say thanks a lot to Bruno and Janin Fuks before I went out. When this letter reaches you Ill be at Sea already on board ship. As far as Im conserned forget me. Despite the fact I quite like Yifat from the two times I visited you and I quite admire you to Michel even if you nag sometimes. As for you Ilana Im sorry for you becos it would be much better for you if youd never had me.
With Thanks,
Boaz
***
To Ilana and Michel Sommo
7 Tarnaz St.
Jerusalem
8.5.76
Michel and Ilana: When Michel rang yesterday and asked if Boaz had turned up here I must have been too stunned to grasp what had happened. And the line was so poor I could hardly hear. I didn’t manage to understand the story of the to-do that Boaz was involved in. This morning I tried to call you at your school, Michel, but it was impossible to get through. That’s why I’m writing these lines, which I’ll send to you with the treasurer of the kibbutz, who’s going to Jerusalem tomorrow. It goes without saying that I’ll let you know at once if
And if you have decided to be a second edition of your dear father, then you can go and burn in Hell. Forgive me for those words. I didn’t intend to write them. But a man should not be judged in his sorrow, as it is written. In fact I want to say exactly the opposite: that I am praying for you, that you will not burn in Hell. Because, it’s the truth, Boaz, I have a fondness for you.
So much for the preamble, and now for the main part of my letter. The following is written on behalf of myself and your mother. Both of us.
1. You will go at once to Abram and ask him to excuse and forgive you. That’s the first thing.
2. As long as the Fuchs family, Bruno and Janine, agree to have you stay in the shed in their backyard—why not, you can stay with them. But from now on I’m paying them rent. Out of your father’s reparation money. You shall not live there for nothing. You are not a beggar and I am not a welfare case.
3. It is a top priority with me that you should go now to learn the Torah and a trade at a college in the liberated territories (your spelling is worse than a seven-year-old’s). But this is something we definitely don’t want to impose on you. If you like, we’ll arrange it for you. If you don’t, we won’t. We have a saying about the Torah: “Its ways are ways of pleasantness.” Not ways of compulsion. As soon as your mother is well again I’ll come and see you for a chat and we’ll see? Maybe you’ll agree? But if what you want is to study optics, just tell me about the course or, better still, show me a prospectus, and I’ll pay. From the fund I mentioned earlier. And if by any chance you want to look for another job, come here to Jerusalem, live at home, and we’ll see what we can fix up for you. Only, no crates.
4. All this on the assumption that from now on you are going to mend your ways.
Yours sadly and anxiously,
Michel, Yifat, and Mother
P.S. Please note, on my word of honor: If there is so much as one more tiny act of violence on your part, Boaz, even your mother’s tears won’t help you with me any more. You will walk your evil way on your own and go to your fate without me.
***
The Sommo Family
7 Tarnaz Street
Jerusalem.
Hi. I got your long letter Michel and I foned sorry to Abram even tho Im not sure who should say sorry to who. Also I left a note to say thanks a lot to Bruno and Janin Fuks before I went out. When this letter reaches you Ill be at Sea already on board ship. As far as Im conserned forget me. Despite the fact I quite like Yifat from the two times I visited you and I quite admire you to Michel even if you nag sometimes. As for you Ilana Im sorry for you becos it would be much better for you if youd never had me.
With Thanks,
Boaz
***
To Ilana and Michel Sommo
7 Tarnaz St.
Jerusalem
8.5.76
Michel and Ilana: When Michel rang yesterday and asked if Boaz had turned up here I must have been too stunned to grasp what had happened. And the line was so poor I could hardly hear. I didn’t manage to understand the story of the to-do that Boaz was involved in. This morning I tried to call you at your school, Michel, but it was impossible to get through. That’s why I’m writing these lines, which I’ll send to you with the treasurer of the kibbutz, who’s going to Jerusalem tomorrow. It goes without saying that I’ll let you know at once if
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