Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)
Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)
Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)
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0 Kerry Greenwood<br />
the river, the “gentlemen of the Mosaic persuasion” as they call<br />
themselves—Carlton thinks that they are compromising their<br />
Jewishness away, so that they forget that they are Jews—marry<br />
Christians, <strong>and</strong> cease to have an identity. People who do well move<br />
from Carlton now to East Kew, staying on this side of the city. The<br />
Jews who have been here longest live in Caulfield <strong>and</strong> Camberwell.<br />
They think that Carlton is running the risk of pogroms because<br />
they are so different, speaking Yiddish in the street, even wearing<br />
sidelocks <strong>and</strong> gabardine like the Hasidim in St. Kilda. Carlton<br />
thinks that Caulfield has no guts <strong>and</strong> that they are all imitation<br />
Christians; Caulfield thinks that Carlton is obstinately different<br />
<strong>and</strong> foreign <strong>and</strong>, well, Jewish, <strong>and</strong> is going to get us all killed.’<br />
‘Who is right?’ asked Phryne, allowing the butler to seat her<br />
at a snowily draped dinner table.<br />
‘Both, of course,’ said Benjamin Abrahams. ‘There is something<br />
to be said for keeping a low profile <strong>and</strong> possibly even for<br />
restricting immigration. It has worked in some places.’<br />
‘But not forever,’ said Simon, alert, from next to Phryne.<br />
‘No, nothing works forever,’ agreed Mr. Abrahams.<br />
‘The only solution is Palestine,’ said Simon.<br />
‘No, no, no,’ said his father. ‘What is there of the Holy L<strong>and</strong><br />
now but mud <strong>and</strong> swamps <strong>and</strong> deserts <strong>and</strong> Turks? And Arabs? It<br />
is not ours any more. We were dispersed. We are exiles.’<br />
‘Then it is time we went home,’ said Simon. ‘Two thous<strong>and</strong><br />
years w<strong>and</strong>ering, it is enough. Already we have bought l<strong>and</strong> there.<br />
Now that Zionism is established <strong>and</strong> we have a clear goal, we<br />
must go forward, purchase the l<strong>and</strong> from the Arabs, <strong>and</strong> build<br />
a Promised L<strong>and</strong> again.’<br />
‘Palestine does not flow with milk <strong>and</strong> honey any more,’<br />
argued his father. ‘It flows with dirty water <strong>and</strong> diseases. It is a<br />
dead l<strong>and</strong>, <strong>and</strong> dead l<strong>and</strong> cannot be resurrected. Besides, are we<br />
farmers? Can I milk a cow, turn a harrow, reap corn?’<br />
‘When they let us be farmers, we were,’ protested Simon.<br />
‘There is the fruit-growing colony at Shepparton. And the settlers<br />
at Berwick have even their own Torah.’
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