Volume 35, Number 5 · March 31, 1988
A Stone's Throw
By Anton Shammas
In the center of Tel Aviv there is an embarrassing fountain, designed by the wellknown Israeli artist Ya'akov Agam, who lives in Paris. Its formal opening was attended by the then prime minister of Israel, Shimon Peres, and some other officials. They all surrounded the miracle with admiring Norman Rockwell faces: to the sounds of Ravel's Bolero, the fountain spouted patterns of fire and water. But why should anyone be astonished at the sight of fire and water mixing with each other, one may ask. After all, the State of Israel has been living with kitsch for forty years now. That's why Israel believes that a Jewish state could be 'democratic,' that occupation could be 'benign,' that weapons could be 'immaculate.' Forty years, after all, cannot be proven wrong.
Feature, 2992 words
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