Several Things

1. Today, the rest of the galus is nearly insignificant, and the main identities of Jews are either American or Israeli (Europe used to comprise another third). For this reason I think I will finally foray into Israeli sifrut: they are my corollary, the other half of my bi-polarity.
2. Why do we write fiction? One reason is that there are certain historical events that can only be made meaningful or understood through literature. This is why my argument with the survivor of the Shoah was justified, that fiction about it isn't only a valid exploration, but it must be written. The lives of our literary ancestors find relevance in fiction--not in their fiction, necessarily, but in fiction about them. Dara Horn on Der Nister; Krause and Ozick on Bruno Schulz; Ozick on Glatshteyn; Englander on the martyred; and many more. Time has come for exploration on Stefan Zweig, his suicide, the letters he wrote that are probably lost, the books that Hitler burnt.
3. America is unrivaled in writing cheesy holiday songs; Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful to be cognizant of history.