(Isaac Bashevis Singer Meets Menachem Begin, 1978)
Inspired by Genius & Anxiety by Norman Lebrecht

When Isaac hears he’s won the Nobel Prize,
He goes to Tel Aviv to see his son.
He sees his smile reflected in those eyes,
And spends the day forgetting what he’s won.
He hears that Begin asked if they could meet—
Two Jews from Warsaw, talking, taking tea.
They’ve each achieved a monumental feat;
The hotel’s windows overlook the sea.
The writer wishes Yiddish were their tongue,
But Hebrew is the language of the state.
He sings a song their mothers might have sung,
And prays the politician can relate.
But Begin won’t speak Yiddish anymore,
Because there are no Yiddish words of war.

Matt Schatz is a writer and composer whose plays and musicals include The Burdens, A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill, An Untitled New Play by Justin Timberlake, and many others. His work often explores Jewish American identity through humor and memory; his honors include the Kleban Prize in Musical Theatre, the Edgerton New Play Award, the ASCAP Harold Arlen Award, and the Reva Shiner Comedy Award. He is the author of the poetry collections Shoes Last Longer in LA (2024) and Dramaturgatory: Poems for Theater People (2025). He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters.