Muhammed, who sells me phones [or fixes them], has a health issue and it makes his left hand shake. Often when he tries to configure something he needs me to do the fine tuning. I don’t mind trying but I am no expert in Samsung surgery. He gives me a safety pin and points at the camouflaged opening. Usually I don’t very quickly reveal I’m Jewish to strangers because sometimes there are weirdo encounters or hostility.
When I worked in group homes there was a girl who want to injure me for enforcing the rules of the house, as staff people are supposed to for instance when lights are turned off or checking whose turn it is to do the dishes after supper. She looked me in the eyes, “In my dream last night you burned in the ovens.” She assumed that was how one fucks up a Jew, as if all of us harbor fears of concentration camps. She was right we do – but the joke’s on her, Auschwitz is almost 100 years ago.
Muhammed has three posters of whirling dervishes on the back wall. This as a good sign because mystics are the best artists and sometimes the best artists are mystics. Obviously Sun Ra, Leonard Cohen, Nina Hagen are in this category. Zen Buddists, Kabbalists or Sufis – all virtuosos. He laughs lots and many sentences end with God or God Willing or brother or praise be Allah. It came up that I play music and Muhammed says his brother has a PhD in Sufi music.
He said something about “the one God” and I thought to ask him about Hindus and how they celebrate many manifestations of God. This irritated him and he said the Hindus do not make sense because there is only one God. I said I was taught that as well, I’m a Jew but isn’t it interesting humans can also imagine it differently? Who is to say who is right? He was disappointed in my logic and even more surprised all this time he didn’t know I knew how to sing Hatikva. I thought about that perfect song Iris Dement wrote “Let the Mystery Be” but couldn’t figure out how to share it.
He asks if I follow the news about Israel and Gaza. I said yes, hard not to. He wants me to answer some questions on behalf of all the Jews in the world but I rather not. He asks why I think God wants him to have his health problems. I admit I am not a God guy which he doesn’t believe. He says if I’m Jewish I must believe in the big G. I say aren’t their Muslims and Christians or Hindus that aren’t religious? I am not religious. He says he doesn’t think I know what I’m talking about. Now I’m worried about how many times I trusted his ability to fix my phone.
He points at one of the whirling dervish posters and asks if I know the state the man is in. I am not sure how to explain it – he says that is the right answer and then adds it proves I am Jewish. There are no words for that state but that is the Godly state. You must know it if you are a musician. He got me there.