#max witriol

Back from working holiday. A mortifying experience but at least £70 has been saved. I have no legitimate ground of complaint, insofar as we were asked to do nothing unresaonable, and in some respects the school was better than a boarding-house or small hotel would have been. The grounds and sports field were magnificent. Our sleeping accommodation was poky, but not much more so than it was at the…

Afraid it’s unlikely the diet will be maintained. When at home the tendency is to nosh, nibble. Went with Philip on ramble last Monday, to Kemsing. We were supposed to get on to the Pilgrims’ Way, but I went astray just before we were due to get on to it. Anyway, Philip was happy. Coming home from Victoria he said to me: “This is one of my few happy times, this and the week-end I spent at Uncle…

The trivial round resumed. Feeling of having missed boat. The Israelis have had their Stirb und Werde, and have a passionate Israeli patriotism. I have no corresponding English patriotism, and whereas in 1944/5, when I met Palestinian Jews (as they then were), one had the feeling of superior Anglo-Saxon, even British, status, obviously now one would keep rather quiet about one’s Anglo-Saxon-ness…

Started school, which now finishes 4pm Fridays. I have only one free period, now, on Friday, which makes this the hardest day. We booked in at the “Kadimah” hotel, Stamford Hill, Friday night, en famille, and booked out Saturday night, so we could attend Daniel Sugarman’s bar-mitzvah at the New Synagogue. The operation cost £16 in car-hire and hotel accommodation, meals and tips. An extravagance…

To shool this morning and yesterday morning, first two days of Pesach, Cannot summon up much enthusiasm for our celebration of a liberation that took place over three thousand years ago, only to be followed by renewed servitude and periodical slaughter. Can only feel religious in the sense of Svetlana Stalin, whose press conference was televised from USA tonight. She seems a woman of great charm…

My drooshe went down well. Perhaps I will copy it out here if I get a chance. On the morning I deviated slightly from script. Stanton [headmaster] said “Excellent”, and there were plenty of Yishor Koach’s [“congratulations!”]. Again, Meno Male. Sam B. [teacher and cousin] was conspicuous by his non-reference to my drooshe, but he told me that he disapproved of lay staff preaching, in principle,…

The sore thumb persists..I don’t know whether I’m kidding myself if I stay my general malaise is due to this. The fact is, I don’t play with, keep the kids as I feel I ought to. Maxie always wants me to have a fight with him, but I usually put him off.Philip, bless him, is always asking questions, and usually he himself says: “Questions, Daddy”, and it’s a job to think of new questions for…