Original subtitles

Lena, I was thinking about the film's title in English.

I have two options. One is: "The Cemetery Club" in English. -What?

"The Cemetery Club". -It's not a Cemetery Club.

I already explained it to you. It's not a Cemetery Club.

It's another part of the cemetery.

It's a recreation area. It's not a Cemetery Club.

It's not a good name? -No. It's not a Cemetery Club!

Isn't it...? -It's not in the cemetery.

There are two different parts to Mount Herzl.

One is for the cemetery

and the other is for recreation.

It's not a club in the cemetery,

I don't know why you think like that.

It's not in the cemetery? -lt has nothing to do with the cemetery.

It's a separate part with a passage to the cemetery.

"Cemetery" is not such a terrible word.

It's not a Cemetery Club, I'm telling you!

It has a completely different meaning.

Mount Herzl. It is the Academy of Mount Herzl.

That's all. I'll show you what it says.

For my 75th birthday they wrote something...

I'll show it to you.

We certainly don't meet in the cemetery!

No cemetery!

Oh! Here it is.

I can't see it.

It says: "On the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Academy

"of Mount Herzl in Jerusalem,

"all the members of the institute

"hereby honor Attorney Lena Berr-Brecher,

"and bestow upon her the title of 'Woman of Valor."'

If they decided to call it that,

so why do you have to say a cemetery?

Extraordinary.

It's so nice here. Look how beautiful it is here.

I see they planted a lot of new cacti here.

They weren't here before. They've grown in number!

"The regulations for the Academy of Mount Herzl.

"One, the group will meet on summer days, every Saturday.

"The location of the meeting, Mount Herzl.

"Two, each member will bring a folding chair.

"Three, the group will have a chairman

"democratically elected.

"His job is to bring up subjects for discussion,

"such as: current events, science lectures,

"literature, and more.

"Five, the purpose of these meetings:

"diminishing loneliness in old age, bringing people together

"and mutual aid".

I don't like: "diminishing loneliness in old age".

"Bringing people together and mutual aid" is good.

But without the "loneliness" part. -Don't we feel lonely?

The real purpose is to make people feel closer,

to be together in good company. Positive rather than negative.

"The meetings will take place regularly

"even if the number of members changes".

I think the addition is absolutely unnecessary.

Simply: "The meetings will take place regularly

"even if the number of members changes." Period.

But now the group consists of 20 people.

We have to put that in.

Stop, stop. Herman, stop.

Herman, you've made your point.

Okay, regulation number four...

"The chairman's responsibility is to make sure

"that the discussions are held in an orderly fashion."

We don't need that! -Wait a minute. Wait!

It is the chairman's right,

and we've seen it on TV and radio around the world...

We also have to write...

Herman, stop it!

On the existence of man. -Would you stop already?!

Ben Gurion was right.

The lsraeli parliament has been right for the past 52 years.

The constitution restricts people and turns you into a tree!

I'm against it. The whole British nation is against it

and that's why in the near future

the Americans will nullify the constitution.

Who is for the regulations, including the corrections?

Food. Let's have the food...

Minya prepared eggs in tartar sauce

and Marisha brought tuna salad.

That's the first course. It comes with matzo pancakes.

Later, we'll have the main course, meat balls,

and finally, there will be seasonal fruits.

Everything you said, I'm not allowed to eat.

Aside from that, I wanted to ask you, seriously,

what else are your plans for me?

T ell me your plans for me.

I'm not kidding, I'm dead serious!

Okay, we're back where... -I want to know.

Don't I deserve to know? -Sure you do.

So what else do you want to do with me?

Conversations... -About what?

About... all sorts of things, about love.

I have nothing to say about love. Nothing at all.

Nothing.

I married lsrael because I knew that...

this was a relationship

with a man I could trust.

I didn't know what love is.

You know, love at first sight or something...

I didn't have a choice.

For six years I wasn't living, not like other people... youth.

People in the ghetto also got married and fell in love.

I didn't know nothing about those things.

I wasn't the most developed young girl.

But when I met lsrael, the first person I knew since childhood,

it was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to me.

The most wonderful thing that had ever happened to me.

And his sister, your Grandma,

for me she was the most important thing. She was my family.

I had no one except for them. No one!

Suddenly, I find a family

and that was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me.

Grandma, how do you feel?

I feel fine.

Could be better, but first of all, I've been on a diet

for the past three weeks.

I haven't touched a thing. Nothing.

In two weeks I lost eight pounds. I don't mind that,

I just hope it's not serious,

Iike a little cancer on the way.

You're laughing? -Yes. Why would you have cancer?

Why? I don't know. Look, I didn't eat.

Whatever I ate I either threw up or had heartburn.

All up through here.

Grandma, you're a healthy person. -I know.

These are all my x-rays.

I can see already.

Where?

This white spot. Look here.

Look, look. See this here?

That's a scar and that's a new scar that wasn't there before.

It looks like it's on the paper.

I found it, I found it.

Mueller loved all classes.

Political opinions he had none.

The thing that was important to him was one:

to gather all the Muellers around.

Maybe you'll read it on Mount Herzl on Saturday?

It would be very nice.

It would be a wonderful subject.

"The Unity of the Nation".

I don't think so.

It would be a wonderful subject.

And I found a wonderful poem by Schiller about happiness.

You know what? Decide if you want to read it. -I don't know...

Everyone on Mount Herzl understands Kastner's German.

No. There are some who wouldn't want to hear it.

No, no. Of course everyone would want to listen to this poem.

There are people who understand the language

but they don't want to hear German. -No...

There's nobody like that there. All those who come to Mount Herzl

understand German and speak German.

Nobody will be upset.

Right.

"ln the war..."

"1948..." "19 years old..."

Look over here. -"Was killed in a battle in Jerusalem. 50 years old..."

"20 years old... 1948".

Which way do we go? From here. Come.

I must tell you, It isn't easy with Herman, to do what I want, Minya.

I don't understand. -Minya, Minya, you can't imagine.

He is such a typical Yekke! (German Jew).

Such a Yekke! -Sorry to interrupt you...

Minya, I'm not as smart as you and lsrael, your brother.

I'm not a diplomat.

I want to tell you that when I feel a little anxious

I take a tranquilizer and relax.

And only then I can convince him.

He didn't want to come today. He wanted to come at 1 1 :00.

I really had to persuade him

that he can do on Mount Herzl what he does at home.

For this nonsense I have to use all my diplomatic skills.

I have to get up, the sun is on me.

Sit here, sit here. There's no sunshine here.

Sit here. -Why don't you sit here then?

Minya, I don't mind the sun.

It's great here. You see? There's no sunshine here.

Just don't sit on the glasses.

So do you understand what kind of nonsense I'm talking about?

I have to know beforehand what they'll say at the meeting.

And I explain it to him:

"Herman, you heard it just like me, so how can I know more than you? "

Listen, such nonsense...

but I could lose my mind trying to get through to him.

Halt now, my friend. Haste not.

Here, neither with elbows nor with jest

there is order in the path for the members of the horde.

He who enters first shall first depart.

What's the meaning of "members of the horde"?

This expression comes from... -Angels.

It means sheep.

Even going to heaven should be done with order.

One after the other. "He who enters first shall first depart."

I have a suggestion.

Herman has a poem in German called "Einigkeit",

which means, "The Unity of the Nation".

Avraham also has a poem he prepared.

But Herman's first. -Herman wants to start.

Avraham has the right of speech.

This is a story about me and about my son.

"One evening, I was alone in my house.

"l asked Naftali to come over and visit.

"I'm waiting for him impatiently.

"There! I hear a sound of a car door closing shut.

"l run to the porch and look.

"It's not him.

"l still expect him to come

"but it's not Naftali. Perhaps tomorrow...

"Tomorrow he will come.

"I'm sure he will"

Thank you. -Thank you. Bravo!

Herman, do you want to read?

Yes, I would like to read,

but I say, with reservation, it's in German. May l?

Yes. -Okay.

Elhanan, this poem is for you.

Mueller loved all classes.

Political opinions he had none.

The thing that was important to him was one:

to gather all the Muellers around...

Honored guests, the funeral procession is going to section 42.

Friends and relatives are invited to carry the dead.

"Elhanan Schlesinger"

Okay, people. A week ago on Saturday,

Elhanan sat here next to me

and told me one last sentence:

"Why is it that I agree with your opinions

"but you don't agree with mine? "

We knew Elhanan for many years.

He was together with Esther's brother

in a German prison for 4 straight years.

At the funeral,

Elhanan's son came up to her and said

that Elhanan told him that the 8 years

that he had been coming to our club kept him alive.

I wanted to tell you what we've been going through.

Suddenly he disappeared.

They told me in the morning or in the afternoon

that yesterday Elhanan went to sleep and didn't wake up.

We didn't have time to prepare ourselves for this.

He wasn't sick. He didn't complain.

He was one of us.

A shock. It was a shock, and I still haven't gotten over it.

I keep looking for him all the time.

I don't know if I'm allowed...

Let us rise in memory of Elhanan.

Beethoven.

One second...

I need a chair.

It's not here...

Maybe...

No...

It's another book.

This one. I found it!

I know where it is.

It's called...

After your Grandpa died, Grandma said that she was in love.

She said it to me.

And that's why she suffered so. Because until the end

she was still very much in love with Grandpa.

That's a wonderful thing, right? -Yes. Did it surprise you?

No, I knew that she was a faithful wife. I was, too.

But there's a difference between being faithful and being in love.

And for Grandma, he was the only love of her life.

Until the end. The very end.

Was lsrael the love of your life? Could you say that?

You could say that, but it's not the same thing

because I didn't know what a great love was.

Grandma did. She is more feminine.

She is more...

She is very special.

She is different.

Look. Ludwig Van Beethoven writes to the "lmmortal Beloved".

Immortal Beloved.

And look what he wrote her:

"Ever thine, ever mine, ever for each other."

That was a very special kind of love.

But you must have a unique character

to be in love like that till the end.

Not everyone is capable of such things.

I dream about him every night.

Every single night.

Sometimes I see him sitting here.

I come here to look at the clouds and I see all kinds of shapes.

I imagine that it's Grandpa.

I see the arms, the face, everything.

"Attorney-at-law lsrael Berr"

You didn't know how many years your brother lsrael was sick.

I knew that he was sick.

Minya, when you had to visit your son in America

and lsrael just had his operation, we were afraid that you wouldn't go.

We brought him home. He looked just like a corpse!

And you didn't know about the operation. We kept it from you.

I knew my brother was sick. -You didn't know!

Of course I knew! I kept my feelings to myself all the time.

I knew from day one.

I would go outside... Even my children didn't know.

Minya, it was fantastic, the way he died.

When Nurit and I bathed lsrael

and then gave him an enema. I put a big plastic sheet on the bed.

We gave him an enema and everything came out of him.

We washed him and put him into pajamas.

His last words were: "Now I want to dance."

With that he went to sleep.

Do you remember when l...? -Minya...

Do you remember when I came over with fish in the morning?

The night before, he said he'd like to eat stuffed fish.

I went home, cooked the fish and took it over in the morning.

When? -When he died and I didn't know. Don't you remember?

So many tubes were in him...

Dr. Kramer put tubes in his lungs, and pumped everything out.

Pumped it out of him.

They did the same to Gedalia, three times. -Minya, Minya!

Three times they did it to him and he spit blood and...

and they pumped his lungs until he stopped.

"Herzl's tomb"

Before we talk about the philosophy of Kant,

I shall say a few words about his character.

Kant was a German philosopher,

one of the greatest philosophers of our time.

He had the most significant influence on modern philosophy.

He was born in Konigsberg in 1734.

He died in 1 804, which means he was 80 years old when he died.

His father was Scottish. He was a saddle maker.

Kant's ethics were adopted by Western Europe,

America and Australia. To this day, it's the foundation

of the ethics and the morality of every modern society.

What is conscience? It's difficult to define.

He said that in a human being there is a categorical imperative,

a working conscience.

It's true, there are people who have a more sensitive conscience.

There are those who have no conscience at all

and they do things that are against humanity.

Hitler took that idea

and influenced the entire German nation

and 20 other nations worldwide, that didn't have a conscience.

It was the exact opposite. It was okay to murder without punishment.

Nobody could shut him up, the mass murderer named Hitler.

Kant's philosophy lead us straight to Hitler.

Hitler said that good is only what's good for Germany.

I wanted to say something. -Justice is power.

So can I compare him to Kant? Hitler against Kant?

There's a term in English called "a white lie."

A white lie. A white lie. -What is the white lie?

Not long ago there was a story on TV about Paul Robeson,

about how he sang somewhere

and what happened there with the KKK or the white rightwing extremists

who massacred people who came to listen to him sing.

But that's not what I wanted to say. I wanted to talk about the white lie.

He was there many times, in the Soviet Union.

He adored Soviet Russia.

But he also saw things that he didn't like so much

and in August 1952 they executed everyone.

The poet ltzhak Feffer, who wrote a poem about Stalin in Yiddish...

What's that got to do with Kant?! -Wait! I haven't finished yet.

I'm talking about the white lie now!

These were poets and writers

who praised the communist regime

and were loyal to it.

And they did so much for that regime,

that not many others did.

That's not only a white lie, but a terrible and cruel lie.

Okay... -Wait one more minute.

Even in lndia and in all the colonies,

the French, the Belgians,

whatever they did at home, they did the opposite in the colonies.

They behaved like masters to slaves

and they exploited them completely, with great cruelty.

Even George lll from Britain was against giving freedom to America

and they did what they did and...

I'm done.

The people you talk about didn't follow those universal laws.

Moses took a nation of slaves, a whole nation,

and brought them to freedom.

I want to... -Wait, I'm talking now, Lena.

Moses, good for him. The ten commandments that he wrote...

Wait, wait! -For me, it's not the Greeks nor the Romans,

only one culture influenced the world - the Jewish culture!

With gentiles, the most important entertainment ever

is spilling blood. They love cruelty. They're animals!

The only ones who behaved like humans were the Jews.

We are murderers. Our soldiers are no better than the Cossacks.

For 34 years we have occupied territories of a whole nation,

and we don't give them the freedom and independence

that we ourselves demanded. But the majority doesn't agree with me.

Not true. You didn't hear well. -No, it's simply not true.

You didn't hear well.

Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to eat. Bon appetit.

Bon appetit. Bon appetit.

Next week...

Next week I will bring a story by Somerset Mougham

about a marriage of convenience and not of love.

I'll read you the synopsis. -All right.

"Minya is my grandmother and Lena, her sister-in-law, is my aunt.

"They were best friends who grew up in the same neighborhood in Poland.

"They split apart in the ghetto, met up by chance after the war,

"and became family.

"Lena married Minya's brother, lsrael."

I didn't know you were making a film about me and your Grandma.

It says here, look.

I didn't know we would be the main actresses in this film.

I didn't know.

I never imagined that.

Tali, I can't be featured as the most knowledgeable

or the main person who was active there.

But I didn't say that you are the head of the group there

or the most knowledgeable. -Yes, read the synopsis.

I wrote: "One of the parliament's founders." -No, no, no. -Yes.

No, read it. Read it. It's not like that.

Look at this. -I can't read. I need my glasses.

"Lena is one of the foundations of the parliament."

Go on. -"There's no subject or date she doesn't know and remember."

Okay, it's a bit exaggerated.

"There's no book she hasn't read." That's writing.

It's all exaggeration. That's the problem.

"There's no argument she doesn't have a formulated opinion about."

No, of course not.

Everything written here is an exaggeration.

What would you write instead? -It's all exaggerated.

I can't agree with that. Concerning Grandma and her story...

Okay, about... -Wait. About Grandma's story and mine,

about our life, that's a different story, yes.

We are the principal characters there,

but not in Mount Herzl. -Not in Mount Herzl.

Do we agree? Okay? Not in Mount Herzl.

But you can also talk about my role in Mount Herzl.

On that we agree.

Okay? Forget about that.

All right?

I will see the synopsis afterwards, T ali. I have to.

Welcome.

Here is the key to the room.

Which passport? No need for a passport. -No need for a passport?

Nothing, nothing.

That's it, we're done.

Excuse me.

Give me another form for the lady.

If you're both staying in the same room there's no need.

The fifth floor. But which room?

Room number 509.

How nice. Very nice.

It's something special. Wonderful!

What a beautiful place. -lt looks out onto the road, I knew it.

How beautiful. What luxury.

I wanted to be on the other side. -What difference does it make?

There's coffee and tea. Wonderful!

There's even... How nice, really...

I'm coughing already. -Really nice.

You see? Why am I coughing already?

I never saw a...

A clock. -A clock. Very nice.

Very unique and modern.

It couldn't be more modern than this.

Where is the TV? -Here, in front of you.

How nice. It's a TV with lots of inches.

I can't fall asleep without the TV on. -No kidding?

How wonderful.

When I married your brother lsrael, I told him:

"You should know that I scream at night."

I have nightmares that they're chasing me,

chasing, chasing, chasing...

and then they catch me and I start screaming and then I wake up.

After I arrived in lsrael, I worked in Yad Vashem.

So the nightmares I had over there became even stronger

because of the survivors' testimonies that I read.

So then I didn't just scream at night, but during the day, too...

-Also, when someone touched you, you screamed,

so I was afraid to sleep at your place, because I wake up easily.

T en years ago I went to a doctor.

She asked me if I was nervous.

I immediately said, no. I'm not nervous, I'm traumatized.

I thought I was fat, but I see there are fatter people.

You're not fat. You've got good legs.

Once, my legs weren't bad at all.

You had beautiful legs, you still do. -But now I have spots.

And this old man needs all this sun?

That's all he needs.

There wasn't anyone left, only me and my mother.

There wasn't anyone left. Everyone was gone.

He released me from that roundup and sent me home

because he knew me.

He said: "Go home." I didn't know he was a Jewish policeman.

Ah, there was an officer walking around.

I'm talking about a Jewish police officer, Minya!

Don't you understand what I'm talking about?

Don't yell at me.

Why don't you understand what I'm talking about?

I do understand. -So why did you interrupt me?

I knew him, what did I say wrong?

What's that got to do with my story?

I'm only telling you that I knew a police officer before the war.

Why do you get so upset?

Can't you relax?

No, because it has nothing to do with what I said.

But you finished telling the story, didn't you?

No, I didn't finish.

You and I have different fields of knowledge.

You know about chickens and dogs,

horses and cows,

flowers, craft and cooking.

I have no idea about those things.

I'm like a little girl compared to you.

But there are things that you never studied!

Not history, not literature, not law.

What can I do? I'm ignorant. -You're not ignorant,

but you never studied. Why do you say ignorant?

Did you study Jewish history after the war? Did you study law?

Did you study law in lsrael? Did you go to librarian school?

You never studied! Is that ignorance?

Do you think you're inferior to me? You're better than me.

I didn't say that. -I'm telling you, you are.

I know that you are respected and loved, so stop.

Stop saying that you know it too.

Why now when I'm telling a story?

Let me tell it and don't interrupt me all the time.

You want to show that you also know.

You can't know it, that's all.

What can I do? I didn't know that I had such a smart sister-in-law.

You're so intelligent, I can't open my mouth.

Go to hell! What's that got to do with intelligence? -Don't shout.

Don't tell me "go to hell"! -I'm talking to you!

Why do you think I said that you're not smart and I am?

I studied, Minya! -I'm not going to talk anymore.

If you don't have anything to say, don't talk.

That's all.

You look good! -Thank you, thank you.

Maybe I'll take you with me? -Yes, yes.

This is wonderful! -Be careful.

You came to me like an angel.

Be careful, don't let it touch your face.

Don't let it get near the eyes.

"Herzl's tomb"

Never mind. I'll take it, but I don't need it.

I'm not hungry and I don't need it.

Who's sitting here? -Minya.

Minya?

She's supposed to sit here. -She can sit over there.

Who said so? She has no right to control us now.

She wants to sit next to my sister-in-law?

Get up, lady. Get up! -But they told me to sit here. -I heard.

Get up quickly. You have no choice.

You know what? That "director" told her to sit here.

You understand? You understand? She ordered her to sit here.

She told me.

We're starting! Quiet.

As we all know, in June 1 941 the Germans invaded the Soviet Union.

The Red Army was ready...

You understand? She wants to take control and separate us.

Do you see her plans?

You know, I was sitting there and now my ear aches!

When the Germans started the war

they thought about actions coming from the home front...

We passed Babi-Yar, where they killed Polish soldiers.

No, it happened in Katin.

In Babi-Yar they killed only Jews. -Officers, too.

Minya, in Katin they killed 15,000 Polish officers.

Only in Katin! There's a list.

Political and cultural activities... I don't want to go into details.

But in 1942 the extermination began...

There are so many people here today.

Listen, it's such a wonderful place.

Extraordinary, it's so nice here.

It's beautiful!

I haven't been to the bathrooms here in a long time.

Now it's possible. When it's hot I go to pee under the trees.

I can't. -I can do it anywhere, Minya.

I can do it anywhere!

And if somebody comes? -Minya, then we stand watch.

I can do it anywhere. I should torture myself for convenience?!

I don't have those inhibitions and complexes.

If I had them, I would never have survived.

Everyone thinks I have a perfect memory.

It's not true. -You remember dates very well.

I remember dates when they're connected to very important events.

Very important, yes?

If I remember when Columbus lived, that's obvious.

Everyone should know that.

Or when Alexander Vl became the pope

it happened at a very turbulent time in ltaly,

so I remember.

Or when Mary Antoinette was sent to the guillotine

or Louis the 1 6th, that's obvious.

Or when Thomas More wrote "Utopia". It was in 1516.

I remember things that were extremely important!

I'm talking about personal memories.

About memories... -Of course. -Of the family. -Of course.

I can't forget the landmarks in my life.

In family related stories

the dates I remember are from the ghetto.

When my father died of starvation,

when people were taken away,

when my brother got tuberculosis and was sent away,

when the Germans said they would give us a loaf of bread

and some marmalade so we could work,

and he was already hungry and had a high fever,

and he wanted the loaf of bread.

He didn't know where they were taking him.

And my sister... six weeks later, typhus broke out

and she got ill and died.

She was the strong one, the beautiful one.

She had all the virtues that I didn't have and she died

and it was just mother and l.

And then Auschwitz... train cars were opened

and my mother was taken, and I asked the Germans: "Where's my mother? "

And they said: "She'll come by bus because she's too weak to walk."

She was sent to...

With everyone it's the same. Everyone knows these things.

Everyone tells the same story and the same...

Not the same feeling, but...

When they opened the train doors...

you saw in front of you many women running with shaven heads,

and they were shouting: "Bread! Bread!"

Everyone tells the same story, the same feeling, the same sight.

We thought these women were crazy.

We thought it was a mental hospital.

We didn't know everything was taken from them.

Someone was beating them and they were shouting: "Bread! Bread!"

Because maybe we still had something left on the train.

These are things you can never forget. Nobody forgets.

Were you hungry for many years?

The whole time in the ghetto I was hungry. We started to get hungry

maybe six months after the war began,

because we didn't have any money.

Even when there was still something to buy in the market,

we didn't have money anymore.

It was awful. It was terrible.

I have to stop. I have a terrible pain.

Suddenly. I guess it's from hunger.

I have to stop.

I had this last night too. And now, again.

In your stomach? -Here.

I have to stop. Okay?

Okay.

You're not angry, are you?

Don't be angry with me. I must have something to eat.

I need this so much.

You don't know how much I need family, how much I need support,

someone to lean on.

I always say, those who are close to me are there to support me.

For me, the family is the most important thing.

I have to eat. Something is wrong with me.

I'm never this hungry.

They decided that it's also good when served cold.

There are plenty of napkins on the table.

Wait a moment.

Minya brought napkins.

I brought some myself. I'll bring them over.

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

You know, I would never think

that in Poland there would be a casino and that you could play

and that there are machines like that.

Unbelievable.

How much is each coin? -25.

Oh, yes?

You've had experience from Las Vegas,

from Taba.

I won a lot in Taba.

I won $5,000 in Taba.

I said from the beginning, from the first day,

if we take a trip to Poland,

we'll pay for the trip with this money.

In this round I got a lot.

I can't believe it. How are you able to win?

I never won a cent in my life.

Unbelievable. This is unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

Grandma, where are we going?

Now we're going in the direction of Venochka Square.

Is that your house? -No.

My house is far from here. My house doesn't exist anymore.

Look at the entrances to the houses,

to apartments... the staircases...

That's so horrible.

Everything is so old, so neglected.

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

That's my house. Here, on the first floor.

That's my house.

How come Lena said that our house wasn't standing?

How could she say that it no longer exists?

Why did you tell me that my house no longer exists?

Who told you that? -You did, all the time.

Minya, you're imagining things. -I swear.

You can swear all you want but it's not important.

That's right, it's not important. -It's really not important.

Ladies and gentlemen, please stop everything and listen.

Time is running out. You can do all those things later.

Please be quiet!

I loved you.

The love in my soul is not completely extinguished.

I haven't come to worry you or cause you embarrassment.

I do not wish to upset you.

I loved you,

In silence, without a chance.

With shyness, hesitation,

jealousy, yearning.

I loved you truly, with all my heart,

with tenderness.

May God let you be loved this way

by someone else.

"Avraham Pishmilevsky"

Can you hear me?

Where it says "Berry and Fruit, The House of Fruit."

You turn there.

What's the matter, Yehuda? T ell me!

You're not coming?

Why?

What? Wait. Wait.

Yehuda isn't coming.

It's great that you came at least. Yehuda isn't coming.

Minya, start serving the cholent. -I don't know how much.

As much as you want, just ask. Start serving it!

Where are the plates? -There are some disposable plates on the table.

Bring the other pot too.

Now, one minute.

I wanted to tell you that it's self-service

and you have to come up...

I ask those who can get up, please, go take food.

It's self-service, Herman. Self-service.

But it's not only this... -So bring it to the table.

No, each person has to take for himself. -No, lt'll be a mess.

I ask you to come and take cholent.

We can't... -Yes, you can.

Don't be stubborn. It's impossible for them to get up.

There are reasonable people and unreasonable people

and I do a lot of things that a reasonable person wouldn't do.

And that's it. Not always.

When I ran my law office for ten years at home

then I was a reasonable person. Everyone said I ran it well.

And in your private life? Were you reasonable?

No, certainly not. Just because of the fact

that I sent my four year-old daughter to an orphanage

when I wanted to study.

And when we came to lsrael I split up the family in one day.

I sent one child who was three and a half to an orphanage,

sent the daughter, Nurit, who was almost ten, to another orphanage,

I was in a hut in Lod, lsrael was in a school in Jerusalem.

I split up the whole family.

A reasonable person would never have done that.

He'd think twice that maybe it would harm the children.

Maybe it would break up the family, what would the consequences be!

I did everything so spontaneously, without thinking.

They suggested it to me and I thought it was an ideal solution

and that it was a great thing, that I was allowed to study.

I was allowed to study and the kids went to an orphanage.

A reasonable person would never have done that.

I thought it was the right thing to do for the good of the family.

How was the orphanage? -lt was lovely.

Grandma was there and saw the place.

It was a wonderful place. It was a selective orphanage.

Communist, selective. It was really beautiful.

Do you have pictures of the orphanage? -No.

I have a photo with Yoram from that period. Very nice. -Really?

I'll show you.

Do you regret it today? -Look, I can't undo the past.

I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't done it.

Yoram.

Yoram.

That's Yoram, you see him?

Is this from that period? -Yes, yes.

You see him?

Look at him. Look at him, at his presence.

This photo is special.

That's you, two years old,

in Yoram's arms.

What a wonderful picture. -I loved him very much.

Wonderful. -That's a funny picture.

Everyone laughs at this picture.

He's 51 years old now. He's already a mature man.

He's 51 years old. He was born in 1953.

On the 13th of August he'll be 52.

I look at Herman's son who was born a month after Yoram.

A month.

He's been an engineer for 30 years now.

He has a wonderful family with three children.

His wife is a school principal. They both have an education.

They are well-established, not only financially.

They have set opinions, they know what they want.

But what has Yoram achieved with all his talents?

They said he had a musical ear.

I sent him to learn French, I sent him to learn the violin,

I sent him to study whatever he wanted.

Everything he did, he quit, threw it away.

Being a journalist suited him really well.

The Jerusalem Post hired him twice. He even got tenure!

After six months!

Tenure, from the Jerusalem Post.

He threw it away.

He threw away everything.

How long haven't you seen him, Lena?

Since 1 992. 1 3 years.

He left lsrael in December for six weeks, and never came back.

It was when he managed the youth hostel at 15 King George St.

He disappeared. That's it.

13 years.

It's not easy. That's it.

Do you miss him? -What can I say?

I don't want to talk about it.

I don't miss him. I worry about him.

You're worried? -I don't know where he is.

I don't know what he's doing, how he's supporting himself.

Did you ever think about looking for him?

Maybe you'll stop asking me that? Stop it.

I won't say another word. We're finished.

Why are you angry with me for asking that?

I have no reply. I won't answer anymore questions. We're finished.

What upset you when I asked about looking for Yoram?

I don't want to look for him. -No? -No.

I don't want to know. It's better that I don't know.

It's better for him too, because if he wanted me to know,

he has the address.

Maybe he wants you to look for him? -Maybe. I don't know what he thinks.

He was walking down the street in Amsterdam and met Nisan. -When?

Before lsrael passed away.

And Nisan told him that his father was dying.

That was 12 years ago. -He didn't even call to ask about him.

It means he doesn't want to be in touch.

So I'm not going to look for him. He doesn't want it!

I gave you an example and that's the example.

That means he doesn't want us to look for him.

Nobody asks me about Yoram!

They know that it's not good for me.

That's all.

Lena, stop making a drama out of this.

No, I'm getting a headache. -So let's stop.

We will now sing a song by Rachel the poetess.

The melody that was sung in Rachel's time,

at the beginning of the last century, in the 20's or 30's,

is a simple, very sentimental tune.

I have not sung your praises, my land, or glorified your name,

with tales ofyour heroic deeds.

Only a tree I have planted

by the quiet shores of Jordan

Only my feet have conquered your paths

upon... your fields.

And in 1 936

a famous German Jewish composer

came to lsrael and settled in Jerusalem.

His name was Stefan Wolpe.

And he composed a different kind of music.

Modern, but not too modern. It's not in the 12-tone technique.

I have not sung your praises, my land

or glorified your name,

with tales ofyour heroic deeds.

Only a tree I have planted

by the quiet shores of Jordan

Only my feet have conquered your paths

upon your fields.

I have not sung your praises, my land

or glorified your name...

maybe I 'm getting emotional.

I was maybe 21 years old then

and it was a very difficult time.

It was the first time I had left my parents' home.

I hadn't yet found a friend or a girlfriend in lsrael.

Wolpe was my first friend

and the work I did with him

was sentimental work.

"Sinai Leichter"

"The renewed regulations for the Academy of Mount Herzl.

"One, due to the members' age and physical condition

"the location of the meetings is being shifted from Mount Herzl

"to the Nofim nursing home in Jerusalem.

"Two, the meetings will be held regularly

"even if the number of members changes.

"Three, Nofim nursing home shall provide the group members

"with a room for the meetings.

"Therefore there's no need to bring the folding chairs.

"Four, lunch will be served

"at one o'clock in the dining hall.

"Members who do not live at the home will pay for the meal.

"Five, the purpose of the meetings:

"Diminishing loneliness in old age,

"bringing people together and mutual aid."

You don't know anything about Yoram?

I dream about Yoram every night, all the time.

I dreamt that Yoram is standing by the door,

pushing the intercom button

and I ask: "Who's speaking? " and he answers "Yoram."

And I say to him: "Answer me in your mother tongue

"and then I'll know that it's you

"and I'll let you in."

I think about Yoram night and day.

All I want is for him to be healthy

and stay out of trouble.

What did I want to say? She married an old man.

Who?

Aunt Marisha, and then she left him and got married to Abaleh.

I remember when his wife caught a fish, killed it,

cut it and put the blood in... How do you call it?

The guts. -Not the guts!

Maybe she made sausages. -Minya, I'm talking about fish. -Oh, fish.

She put it in the sauce, the blood.

Many people do that. -She did, I saw it.

I just hear that and I'm disgusted.

I know that they did that when we lived in Bielawa.

It wasn't in Bielawa.

But we lived in Bielawa. -lt was another place.

Not Warsaw. I was in Lodz. -He didn't live in Lodz.

He lived in Warsaw.

Hilman never lived in Lodz. He lived in Warsaw.