Kibitz Spot

How the JNF robbed me of my birthday presents
A guest post by Darren Stein (http://www.kabbalart.com.au)

A few weeks ago I gave a presentation to the Sydney chapter of the Bnei Brith Society on the subject of Doomsday Cults.  In gratitude, they presented me with a certificate from the Jewish National Fund (JNF), indicating that they had donated two trees to this environmental agency in my honour.  As an adult, I was touched by the charitable gesture, but it reminded me how I would react to similar donations as a child which led me to write this poem.

How the JNF robbed me of my birthday presents

‘Happy Birthday, my darling, we’ve bought you a tree -
Somewhere in a forest in Israel.
It will be planted and grow so the desert may bloom,
and your name will be part of its tale.’

My mind pictured a wood full of oak trees and firs,
each labelled with little blue stars -
declaring the name of each child who was stiffed
and would far prefer dolls or toy cars.

About the Author:

Darren Stein teaches Comparative Religion at a Jewish College in Sydney, Australia.  He holds a variety of degrees in History, Philosophy, and Religion, with a special interest in Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah.  Darren is an accomplished poet and artist whose works and blog on Kabbalistic themes can be found at:

http://www.kabbalart.com.au
http://kabbalart10.wordpress.com

His most recent collection of poetry, “Storage Space: A Collection of Contemporary Poetry” is still available in hardcover at Amazon, but a digital ebook version is now available FREE at: http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/Storage-Space-A-Collection-of-Contemporary-Verse

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