Friday night I was at a bookstore/restaurant called Kramer's that's over in Dupont Circle. While waiting for a table I spotted a book that (as soon as I get paid) I have to have. It's called Salonika, and it's the tale of a city that had it's entire Jewish population (as well as Arab and other populations) decimated in the early 20th century, largely during World War II. The community of Salonika, Greece, had about 50,000 Jews who spoke Ladino and were a majority population in the city ... it was a thriving place. Then it was destroyed, and the book tells the story as far as I can tell.I spent my afternoon with a gent from these parts at a place called Busboys and Poets, a restaurant/bookstore/performance venue over on U Street. I wasn't hungry, as it was that weird period between lunch and dinner, and I couldn't tell if he was hungry. So we had drinks and this unfulfilling appetizer of tomatoes and mozarella. We checked out the small book collection, he bought his book and we headed off. The nice thing was that he drove me through Adam's Morgan, U Street, Cleveland Park and a bit of Georgetown. I now know there are places I really, really need to go. I also need to return to Busboys for open mic at some point.
It's funny how things start to go one way and then you're blindsided by your own incredible stupidity, isn't it? Fools, we all are. Silly fools.
If you're bored, check out Zach Braff dot Com. Evidently they just unveiled the new site. In his little video blog he talks about his "Challah Back" T-shirt. Marvelous.
Quoth Lionel Trilling: Being a Jew is like walking in the wind or swimming: you are touched at all points and conscious everywhere.
