Tag No. 121 – צען ברידער – tsen brider – „Zehn Brüder“

Late in the evening, in the pitch black, a vehicle suddenly pulls up behind us. - It's always a funny situation when you're in no man's land. I get out of the car to see what's going on. - But it's "only" a van, also a California. Spanish is spoken. We greet each other. - Julia and Jose, she switches to perfect English, no, American. - So an American with her Spanish boyfriend. So we become new neighbors and I get the opportunity to take a closer look at the starry sky. How it sparkles, simply amazing.

We wake up around half past seven. It's still dark outside. But the sunrise is already looming behind the mountain. I get the outdoor shower ready. Showering outside at seven degrees is wonderfully refreshing, or so I tell myself. But first I enjoy the view over the misty mountains, the trees and the lush greenery. 

Another fruit muesli for breakfast, this time with a new ingredient. Unsalted peanuts. Delicious! - Somehow we hadn't noticed them at home before. At least not without the shell.

Later in the morning, I get talking to our new neighbors. At first it's all about the Bullis. But then Julia switches to German.

Ich frage sie woher sie so gut deutsch spricht. Sie sagt ihr Jiddisch wäre besser. Ich frage und sie bestätigt, dass sie Jüdin ist. – Wir stellen fest, dass wir beide die selben Jiddischen Lieder kennen. Wir reden darüber, dass ich Jiddisch immer als traurig und zeitgleich lebendig empfinde,  „Di grine Kusine“, „Dire-gelt“, darüber, dass ich erst im letzten Jahr auf einem jiddischen Konzert in einer christlichen Kirche war, über singende, orthodoxe Juden im ehemaligen Getto in Venedig. – Plötzlich beginnt auch sie „Tsen brider – Zehn Brieder“.  zu singen und ich falle ein. So singen wir gemeinsam … 

Tsen brider senen mir gewesn

Hobn mir gehandlt in wayn

Senen ayns fun unds geshtorbn

I am still alive

I have always loved this song. As a businessman, I know there are good times and bad times. This song is about the bad. -

Suddenly we are in the past, on the subject of concentration camps. She tells me that her grandmother was deported but survived Buchenwald concentration camp. She tells me how her grandmother picked out a pair of men's boots from a mountain of boots in Buchenwald. "He" certainly wouldn't have needed them, as he had been gassed. Tears well up in my eyes, I feel guilty. - We stand there for a moment and I ask if I can give her a hug. I feel the need to apologize, which I do. We look at each other and go our separate ways.

Shmerel with fiddle, Tewye with bass

Shpil-she me a lidl oyfn withn gas

Oy oy oy oy oy oy, oy oy oy oy oy oy

She comes up to me again later and tells me that this gesture made a deep impression on Jose. That he sees the guilt of the Spaniards under the Franco era as comparable. But he had great respect for the fact that "we" Germans had learned to put this guilt into words. No Spaniard is capable of that. - We discuss the fact that few Italians, Japanese and other "allies" are certainly prepared to do so.

The fact that I apologize for the atrocities committed by our ancestors certainly does not make me a better person, but it is part of my feelings, my attitude. Precisely because I see myself as loving my country and because I claim to be a patriot, I also try to stand by the abysses of our past. 

Shpil-she me a lidl oyfn withn gas

I've never been a brother

Have handled me in freight

Senen ayns fun unds geshtorbn

Senen mir geblibn acht 

Shmerel with fidl ...

We talk for a long time about how something like this could happen, what influence religion had, what influence money and guilt(s) had. Why there have always been Jewish pogroms. What connection there was to issues such as exclusion from the guilds, the denial of the right to own land, to bear arms, but to lend money contrary to the Christians "interest and validity". About whether something like this could happen again. We are talking about the abundance and wealth in which we live today and the poverty of those before us. What disinformation we suffer from today in the abundance of information. Even the Israeli settlement policy is discussed. - Having and bearing responsibility for it. The conversation goes so far that we talk about the responsibility of humans and humanity itself. What responsibility we bear in the world, what role weapons and money play again today. It is a moving conversation. Of course, we don't find any solutions either. But we do find a little peace. 

Shpil-she me a lidl oyfn withn gas

I've never been a brother

Have handled me in freight

Senen ayns fun unds geshtorbn

Senen mir geblibn acht 

Shmerel with fidl ...

Später reden Torgit und ich noch ein wenig über Patriotismus und darüber wie widersprüchlich wir Deutschen doch mit Nationalstolz umgehen. Warum die Deutschladfahnen doch nur in der Hoffnung auf ein neues Sommermärchen heraus kommen „dürfen“. – Schon schräg, wenn man betrachtet, dass gerade unsere Nationalfahne, von Nazis gestern und heute abgelehnt wird. Steht die deutsche „Tricolore“ doch ebenfalls für Freiheit, Gleichheit, Brüderlichkeit. Oder war es Einigkeit, Freiheit und Demokratie. Egal, so oder so nichts, mit dem Rechte sich identifizieren können. – Wir reden auch über Sachsenhausen, über meine Gespräche mit dem Bruder eines Arbeitskollegen, der dort im Archiv gearbeitet hat. Wir stellen uns die Frage, was es mit einem Menschen macht, der in einer solchen Gedenkstätte arbeitet. 

Eight brothers have been mine

Handled with ribs

Senen ayns fun unds geshtorbn

They have given birth to me

Ein wenig später verabschieden sich Julia und Jose mit den Worten „Lehitra’ot“. – Wir spüren, dass unser Gespräch auf beiden Seiten Emotionen ausgelöst hat. Die Verabschiedung ist ganz besonders herzlich. Auch Jose drückt mich.

I have become a brider

We handled with gebeks

Senen ayns fun unds geshtorbn

Senen mir geblibn seks

Shmerel with fidl ...

Torgit and I want to stay on site for a while, as we suspect that our vultures will rise again in the afternoon with the thermals. They can already be seen sporadically in the sky. - Will we be able to film this natural spectacle? We don't know. So we use the time to get to grips with our technology. Torgit with our DJI Osmo Pocket, a handheld gimbal. Me with our footage from the last two days. Somehow less came out than I thought. - Vultures are only blurry.

Wir machen uns am Nachmittag zu Fuß auf den Weg , um die Geier zu erkunden. Mehr und mehr Geier ziehen wie erhofft ihre Bahnen am Himmel. Ich lasse die Drohne aufsteigen, halte mich jedoch möglichst fern, um die Vögel nicht zu verscheuchen, bzw. zu verschrecken. Doch das Gegenteil ist der Fall. Die Geier nähern sich der Drohne sehr schnell. Plötzlich ist die Drohe von den Vögel umkreist. Nicht die Vögel haben Angst, sondern ich, zumindest um die Drohne. Ich hole sie lieber vom Himmel. Trotzdem entstehen etliche Aufnahmen. Auch vom Boden aus bekommen wir einen wunderbaren Eindruck. Wir schauen nun lieber „nur“ zu. Wie soll ich beschreiben was in uns vorgeht?Was wir sehen macht uns besinnlich, beeindruckt? Mir fehlen die Worte.

Later, we set off in the direction of San José del Valle. Our next pitch for the night is supposed to be nearby. Apparently you can stand right by the lake there. - On the way, we see two otters crossing the road. We also pass various cattle pens for farm animals. Once again, we come across cattle, young bulls, goats and their strange barrel shelters. But we also see a billy goat with its horns caught in a wire mesh fence. The green in the neighbor's garden seems to be greener again. It takes some effort to rescue the frightened goat from its precarious situation. - And then there's a goat nursing her newborn. The umbilical cord is still visible. 

When we arrive at the lake, we are thrilled. A beautiful spot right on the lake. Here are the coordinates: 36°38'24.5″N 5°42'45.7″W If it weren't for the unnecessary garbage. But it only takes three to four minutes and our pitch for the night is once again in good shape. How can you motivate campers to follow the motto "Please leave the site cleaner than you found it"?

I write a little more in the blog, then the films from the last few days are edited. - What a day, what impressions, what pictures.

Erkenntnis des Tages: „Berge kommen nicht zusammen, aber Menschen“

My brothers have become me

Handled with shtrimp

Senen ayns fun unds geshtorbn

Senen mir geblibn finf