Joel Schalit

Subject/Object

I pass this apartment building whenever I take Pixel and Raster out for a walk. Recently constructed, it is flanked by beautiful old buildings that were most likely built in the early twentieth century. The graffiti is relatively new.

Shooting this photo yesterday, for once I became complicit, (albeit, by accident) with my subject matter, when the dogs decided to urinate on the building. Unfortunately, they relieved themselves outside the scope of the frame.

Near Frankfurter Allee, July 27th.

Local Waste Disposal

At least they weren’t thinking of recycling. Boxhagenerplatz, Berlin, 9/7.

Nationalism can only be criticized in English. Warschauer Straße, early July.

State of Ambivalence

Memory is a powerful thing. Friedrichshain squat, Berlin, 18/7.

The New Sensibility

Northern Bavaria is not known for its anti-occupation politics. Highway rest stop, Frankenwald area, 18/6.

Berlin is full of flags. Cafe Szimpla, Friedrichshain, 17/6.

They Care Alot

“Never again,” was a phrase that lost its meaning for me as a child. Forever linked to then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin (it was his signature phrase) in reference to the Shoah, it eventually lost its meaning for me during the siege of Beirut, in 1982.

This is not to compare the events, because they couldn’t have been more different. Nonetheless, I was old enough to discern the discrepancies between the significance of this slogan, and the events that unfolded five years later, under Begin’s own watch.

Obviously, the late Israeli leader was troubled, not just by the past, but how it intersected with his present. As though to compare, it took 28 years for me to feel moved by the statement again. As far away as 1982 seems, the distance couldn’t feel shorter.

In German

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The very first German translation of my work has been published in the new edition of the Telegraph. Entitled “Actually Existing Israel,” the essay is a summary of one of Israel vs. Utopia’s main points. This same article is also scheduled to appear in the Polish edition of Le Monde Diplomatique later this year. Download a PDF of the German version.

Official Visit

Palestinian police await a German parliamentarian, Bethlehem. Sidewalk cafe, Boxhagenerplatz.

Diaspora

It’s World Cup time in Friedrichshain.

Opposite side of the street, different home team.

Fresh Prince of Neukölln

Turkish party couture. Kotbusser Dam, Berlin.

Rare Author Sighting

Between entertaining guests from the US, work, and looking for an apartment, Jennifer and I have been busier than usual. Nonetheless, three weeks is about the longest break I’ve taken from blogging. Getting back to things this coming week. In the interim, yours truly, with Pixel. Boxhagener Platz, early May.