So when was the last time you were there?

Sometime over the summer. Ezra and I went to see the latest Indiana Jones movie, the one that came and quickly vanished – like morning dew. No, wait, we went after that, me and Barbara, along with Ezra. And Iris joined us also. We went to see Oppenheimer when Barbieheimer was a big thing. That’s how long it’s been.

And now you went to Cinema City twice in two days?

Correct.

And you didn’t go to see a movie?

Correct.

OK, what was that about?

If you have a few minutes, I’ll try to explain.

You know that Cinema City is not just a bunch of movie theaters with a few concession stands where you can overload on nosh to munch on while you’re watching the movie plus some arcade games to keep the teenagers happy. It’s this huge complex. The theaters are all down several flights – probably as safe a place as any in case of a rocket attack.  The entrance level is designed in this enormous circle, with a bunch of shops and several eateries to stop at after you’ve finished watching your movie, or even if you’re just in the area. We’ve been there a number of times to have lunch at Japanika with Jeff and June, because it’s convenient if you’re coming in from Elazar or Ma’ale Adumim.

It’s been hard keeping in touch with all the people we know in The Land, especially with COVID having thrown a monkey wrench into everyone’s plans. But every so often, the four of us would meet up for lunch and chew the fat while we’re filling up on sushi and stir-fry. Which is what we did. As you might expect, we had a lot to catch up on, so we stayed awhile.

What do you guys talk about?

If you must know… When people of a certain age get together, invariably the conversation begins with polite inquiries about the well-being of children and their progeny, which is mandatory by law, and then inevitably it gets into a discussion of bodily deterioration and the causes, symptoms, and treatment of said infirmities. Barbara and Jeff were heavy into the intricacies of cataract surgery, past and future.

I’m glad I missed it.

I’m sorry I didn’t, me being the squeamish type. But all things must pass; our plates being empty and the bill having been paid, we finally went our separate ways.

Ideally, Barbara and I would have arrived back home in time to pay our respects to the fallen. The son of two people in the community we sort of know – fellow Anglo olim – had been killed fighting in Gaza, and as happened before, there was scheduled a motorcade starting down in Mitzpe Nevo, going through the city, and heading to the military cemetery at Har Hertzl. What people can do – as I figured out from the last time this happened – is to stand on the sidewalk with your flag, if you have one, as the motorcade passes by. But, as I expected, we were too late getting back, and the roads were empty when we got off the bus in front of our building. We’d have to pay a shiva call anyway, which we attempted several days later. Did you ever try to pay a shiva call and be turned away because there were way too many people in the apartment and there was not and would not be any more room for anybody else to squeeze in?

That never happened to me.

We knew where this couple lived because we have friends who live in the same building at the bottom of Mitzpe Nevo. We found the right apartment and opened the front door. It was like a sea of uniforms. I guess that’s what happens when someone in the IDF is killed. Anyway we waited around for a while and then we gave up. Our respects would not be paid. We tried.

That’s all you can do, try.

But going back to Cinema City. We were there with our friends on a Monday. Did I mention that this was over Chanukah?

You didn’t, but it makes sense.

We were scheduled to return on Tuesday for this Nefesh b’Nefesh event.

Nefesh b’Nefesh, they have events for Israelis?

Not a lot, but they do have something once in a while. It was Chanukah, so they had one event for families with young kids, another for ‘war brides,’ (women whose husbands are doing battle), and one for us Old Farts. Now I knew that NBN had moved, maybe six months or a year before, and they were now in or near Cinema City. So Barbara and I figured that, if we were going to be there the day before, let’s see if we could figure out where they actually were – as opposed to where we thought they might be. Very simple, we walked around and there was a big sign, ‘Nefesh b’Nefesh.’ You couldn’t miss it. Now we knew.

You haven’t said anything about what was supposed to happen at this event.

I haven’t? My bad. The idea was this. They were going to give you a light lunch. They said something about classical music…

Which I know you like.

And then we supposed to put together packages for the soldiers.

Sounds like fun. Is that what actually happened?

So we got there on time, 12 o’clock. NBN must be doing OK, because now they have this large space for events. Plus they must have room for offices on the second floor, but we didn’t see that. It’s a lot classier than where they started out in Givat Shaul. Anyway, we went in, and as usual, it was Barbara’s job to figure out where we would sit. Which was a table all by ourselves at the far end of the room. We parked ourselves and then headed over to the food table.

What was for lunch?

I didn’t expect a fancy meal, plus there must have been 100 of us Old Farts to feed, and we weren’t paying anything. So it was OK. They had bagels…

Of course. Any lox?

That would have been a step up. Cream cheese, tuna fish, vegetable platters. Muffins later for dessert. But it was enough for us not to be hungry. We were sitting and eating, and then a string quartet came out and started playing, right in front of where we were sitting. Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachmusik, or a version for a quartet instead of an orchestra.

They must have known you were going to be there.

The problem was that people were just arriving. So everyone was finding their seats, getting their food, and talking to their friends. Nobody was listening to the music.

Except you.

Except me and Barbara. That’s the way I was trained. If someone is performing – no matter what it is – you shut up and listen. I remember years and years ago going with my late friend Jimmy to jazz clubs in Manhattan, and there would be these people who paid good money not to listen to the musicians – which made us crazy.

Anyway, the musicians must have realized that nobody was paying attention, so after the third movement, they started playing Chanukah music instead. You haven’t experienced life to its fullest if you haven’t heard ‘Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel’ played by a string quartet. Anyway they finished their set, and some young lady gave a little speech. They showed two short films; you can probably find them on YouTube. One of them was about bringing over the parents of lone soldiers to give them a hug. Then they formally introduced the musicians, and this time, people actually listened while they played.

I was looking at the musicians, and it occurred to me that I recognized the second violinist from somewhere. Later when we were about to leave, I went over to him and asked, ‘Were you in the orchestra for some of the Encore! productions?’ I explained that while he was bowing away, I was on stage in the chorus. Kindred spirits.

Anyway, it was time for us to start the packing part of the program. But there wasn’t much for us to pack.

Oh no! 

I mean, they did have some nosh to put in bags, packets of instant coffee, a tea bag or two, various kinds of chocolate. Plus we could write something on a card, which I did in English. ‘Thank you for your service. Stay safe.’

You know, I read somewhere that soldiers were getting sick from all the junk food they were being sent.

What can I say, we did our best with what they had – even though it wasn’t much.

That’s all you can ask.

Oh the funniest part. Someone had mentioned that there’s a card to get you to the front of any line – if you’re over 80. Well, that’s me. So when we were done packing, I asked about that. It’s not a card. There’s an app you can put on your phone. And there were a bunch of us super Old Farts wanting to get this app. Now I don’t plan to use it except maybe in an emergency. I told the young lady who was helping me that I had gotten up on the light rail two days before and given my seat to a woman who got on with a crutch and needed to sit down.

Now the woman who was helping me with the app, she was definitely under 30, and she had installed the app on lots of people’s phones. But she was having trouble. She installed the app, and then it said do it again. We finally got it installed, but this is crazy. How many 80-year-old Israelis could install this app on their own? There’s a disconnect here somewhere.

Not the first time. Anyway, that was it? You went home?

Almost. First we had to go through the main part of the complex. It was crowded when we were there with our friends, but this day it was absolutely mobbed with parents and their kids. Remember, it’s Cinema City with who knows how many kids movies they were showing. Chanukah, remember.

You wouldn’t think there was a war going on.

No, you would. There were all these vendors from the south selling their stuff, just to remind you that things weren’t all normal.

So you bought something?

What do you think? We started and made a complete circle around the children’s play area in the middle of the floor. There was one guy selling citrus products. He had these enormous, I mean enormous, pomelos, packaged two for 20NIS. So we bought a package. There were some other people selling cheeses. I got some, but no idea what kind it was. Somebody else was selling liqueurs, so I took home something made from apples, passion fruit, and rum. I haven’t tried it yet; I’d need to create some kind of weird cocktail to go with it.

So then finally you went home?

Finally. Usually we walk to the light rail and get the bus from Ammunition Hill. But every so often there’s a bus from near the Navon train station directly to Ma’ale Adumim. We were just on time both days to catch the #174.

Why is that bus any better?

It goes up the Begin, and then heads directly to Ma’ale Adumim. The problem is the pikak (the bottle neck) at the traffic light at French Hill. And the later in the afternoon you go, the worse it gets. So you’re not really saving anytime going this way.

Can’t they fix the problem?

Well, yeah. They’ve been working on a tunnel for several years that would by-pass the traffic light and save a lot of time, and it’s almost ready. It’s like a lot of construction project that got stopped by the war. I’ll give you another example. The light rail. Right now it goes out to Har Herzl and stops there. It’s supposed to go all the way to Ein Kerem where the hospital is, and it’s almost ready. Our friends Carol and Moshe live right along the way. They were hoping it would have been ready last spring. From their apartment, they could hear trains going by in test mode late at night. So they thought, any day now. Then they could walk out of their building, get on the light rail, and be at the shuk in fifteen minutes max. But it’s being delayed and delayed.

What’s the problem with that?

Something about people from abroad who need to do final testing, and they’re unable to get here. That’s what I read. You know, none of us are getting any younger. All the construction in the center of town. It would be nice to be around when it’s all done.

I hate to say it, but it could be worse. At least, when the war is over, the light rail and all the partly finished buildings will still be there to be finished. And even if they wouldn’t be, we’ll still be here. And maybe our enemies won’t. Maybe that’s the takeaway. It’s Chanukah after all.

It’s Chanukah, after all.