Wartime Diaries
Short Episode
Bonus: The Most Beautiful Book Ever Written, Revisited
- 22:22
- 2021
On the very first day of 2021, when so many of us are busy making New Year’s resolutions and embarking on new and hopeful journeys, we re-air one of our favorite stories, all about a quixotic, improbable, yet inherently optimistic, search for love.
In our last episode, we featured a story by Chaya Gilboa. It was all about returning to Israel mid-pandemic and mid-pregnancy. And in the days since it aired, we’ve heard from listeners all the way from Australia to Argentina, asking the very same thing – “where might we find other stories by Chaya?” Luckily, we’ve got you covered.
Act I: The Most Beautiful Book Ever Written
About half-an-hour southeast of Be’er Sheva, basically in the middle of nowhere, there’s a small town called Dimona. Around the world it’s best known for what Israel denies is there – our national nuclear reactor. But for Chaya Gilboa, Dimona is something altogether different: it’s where she first encountered the book which – she believed – would change her life. From the vaults of our archive, we bring you our 2014 classic, The Most Beautiful Book Ever Written.
Epilogue: Who Needs Pinchas Sadeh Anyway?
Fast forward to 2021. Chaya is now happily married to Marik. They have three kids. But was it Marik’s love of Pinchas Sadeh that sealed the deal?
Credits
Dana Ruttenberg read the story. Thanks to Mitra Kaboli, Paul Ruest and Julie Subrin. The end song, Ha’Hizayon Le’Francisco Goya (‘The Epiphany of Francisco Goya’) is by Ehud Banai, with lyrics by Pinchas Sadeh.
