Avshalom Halutz in Haaretz: ‘A rhyming prayer dedicated to Israeli combat fighters was the first thing that greeted visitors last Thursday at the BDSM club the Dungeon in downtown Tel Aviv. After ducking under dark velvet curtains and passing the lockers, you began to notice the men in tight uniforms, the caged areas resembling interrogation rooms, and low-budget dance covers of old hits blasting from the loudspeakers (think acid techno “Survivor”).’

And: ‘The entire night seemed to reflect the state of culture in Israel right now.’

As well: ‘Where have all the Arab poets gone?’

There was also a more effectively executed event: ‘An evening dedicated to Jewish poet, socialite, and patron Gertrude Stein at Bar One attracted a surprisingly large crowd.’

War or no war, poetry is alive in Tel Aviv and its surroundings. So is BDSM.

The Arab poets are gone, but were they ever invited?

(a sf 2124)