Musings #157 The Sound of Silence

Musings #157
May 7, 2006
The 9th of Iyyar

The Sound of Silence
My version of Paul Simon's
Most famous song

Paul Simon wrote "The Sound of Silence" after Kennedy was assassinated. With JFK out of the White House he felt an "emptiness," a "silence."

The "silence" that is haunting me is a different one. I am waiting for Israeli citizens, World Jewry and true peace-loving people from all over the world to wake up and voice their opposition to Olmert's dangerous plan of "Convergence," Resettlement, Transfer, Exile of Jews from their homes, which would, G-d forbid, cause the destruction of the State of Israel and thereby endanger world peace.

Before Disengagement I predicted, I warned, that if Sharon succeeds in Disengagement, my home will be next, and if so the entire country is in danger and then the entire world.

Last summer, just days before Sharon destroyed Gush Katif and Northern Shomron, exiling thousands of patriotic, law-abiding Jews from their homes, communities and businesses, I was in New York, shocked and horrified by the silence of the Jewish Community. Twice, I've back there since, and the silence continues.

In Israel, there's a perverse pleasure broadcast by the media and the weak, mindless majority, which follows fads, at the spectacle of violence against Jews whose only wish is to redeem the Land. As we all know, the majority follow the bully, terrified to be his victim, and this is what's happening here.

I was searching my heart and mind for the right phrase, and then it came to me, "The sound of silence." (The original lyrics follow.)

Fellow Jews, my old friends,
I’ve come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Haunts my dreams while I am sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walk alone
among destroyed homes and cobblestone,
now it's an Arab terrorist camp,
bombing Israeli cities, farms and innocents;

No protection, just terrorists who
who are out to destroy us
The Israeli government turns its might
Against Jews, but there's just silence.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.

Fools, said I, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
is not too late to end it; I beseech you,
Join me to stop the dictator before he gets you, too.

But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.

Explosions flashed out their warning,
Even Tel Aviv is burning.
And if we don't stop Olmert's Convergence Plans
We'll be burying the country in the Negev sands
And Yad Veshem's halls.

All because of the sounds of silence.

Here's the original:
Hello darkness, my old friend,
I’ve come to talk with you again,
a vision softly creeping,

Left it’s seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked
streets of cobblestone,
the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I
thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,

People hearing without listening,
writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.

Fools said I, you do not knowSilence like a cancer grows.Hear my words that I might teach you,Take my arms that I might reach you.But my words like silent raindrops fell,And echoedIn the wells of silenceAnd the people bowed and prayedTo the neon God they made.And the sign flashed out it’s warning,In the words that it was forming.And the signs said, the words of the prophetsAre written on the subway wallsAnd tenement halls.And whisper’d in the sounds of silence.
BatyaMedad
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