The Lowlife

I was lucky enough to pick up and read Alexander Baron's The Lowlife close to a year ago. It's hard to emphasize enough just how much of a definitive Hackney classic it is. Among lost and forgotten London writers, Baron stands among the most intriguing. Many of Alexander Baron's titles had been out of print for years, but have now recently been republished by Five Leaves Publications. Baron's writings about Jewish and working-class East London life, both pre and post-war, are deep-rooted throughout so much of his work. Now his novels are thankfully being rediscovered by all new audiences. 

Perhaps more than anything, Baron's own personal experiences as a soldier in Sicily and Normandy during the Second World War left the deepest imprint, which resulted in his series of inter-related war novels such as From the City, From the Plough, There's No Home, and The Human Kind. I'm still just starting to explore other works from his collective oeuvre, but when I found myself in London for a brief visit towards the end of last year I was able search out more and dig a bit deeper. 

Jewish Brigade in Italy

Meet up in Italy between soldiers of the British Army's Jewish Brigade and Yugoslav partisans.

יהודה רוטשילד בריגדה

פלוגת החרושת 515 , REME

Jewish soldiers from Eretz Yisrael, serving in the British Army's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, pose under a unit sign in their base training camp. Circa 1943.

jwmww2

Jerusalem, Winter '13

Throwback to the winter of 2013. From December 11th to the 15th the Middle East was hit with one of its most severe winter storms in decades. Record snowfall fell throughout the region and left substantial impact on countries such as Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

The photo below is from outside the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem.

Yehuda Asulin

Intimate Conversations

Circa 1942 

Hackney Archives

Hackney Marshes and Beyond

Crowds swelled throughout London last week as temperatures hit their highest levels of the year. Even though the UK has slowly began to open up, continued recommendations for social distancing have been in place. Clearly, there is still much room for compliance. Below are scenes from Hackney Marshes in East London and the beaches in Bournemouth.

Tolga Akmen/Getty Images/AFP.

Tolga Akmen. Getty Images/AFP

Packed sunbathers in Bournemouth. BNPS.

ימי צקלג

First edition copy of Yitzhar's still untranslated magnum opus Days of Ziklag.