In a total understatement, there's been a lot going on in Israel lately. People say it's the start of the third intifada (again), while other people call for the third intifada. Stabbings, shootings, stonings, molotov cocktails. Lynch mobs. And the beat plays on: the same media headlines, the same talkbacks, the same Facebook statuses. The... Continue Reading →
The State of Jerusalem Pride 2015: lovers love, haters hate
'Why do we have parades?' My 6yo kept puzzling over that one. 'We have parades to say something.' He wanted to know what we're saying now. 'We're saying that love is good, everyone can love whoever they want.' 'Why are there rainbows?' 'Because there are so many kinds of love.' The kids will probably remember... Continue Reading →
Local Holocaust remembrance in 2015 and beyond
Since becoming a mom, everything has gotten harder to swallow. I don't read the news as much. Especially local evening news from New York. I can't stomach certain facts of life. And I've distanced myself from my cultural ties with Holocaust education and remembrance. Which is getting easier to do - less voices, more distance... Continue Reading →
Nothing to see here, just a little election therapy.
Me? I'm slow to anger. Usually. When bad things are on their way, I tend to peek around the corner to find the good somewhere. And then as I pass around the corner, it hits me like a ton of... Bibis winning an election on a platform of fear. Unlike me, usually, I was pretty... Continue Reading →
A day in the life
7:50 Find out about the breaking news from a friend on Whatsapp 8:05 Make sure to give huz and kid #3 a solid goodbye 8:10 Have sinking feeling about letting your kids go for the day 9:45 Pick up kid #2 for speech therapy, feel excited because it's bonus kid time 10:45 Drop kid #2 off at gan... Continue Reading →
What do Palestinians think this month? A public opinion poll
A friend of mine at Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Jerusalem sent me these findings of a new Palestinian public opinion poll (conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, September 25-27, 2014). Coming a month after the end of the latest Gaza war, and a couple... Continue Reading →
Video marketing: so you *can* teach an old man new tricks
I watched a lot of videos tonight. And they all made me happy. But none so happy as this: Ex-President of Israel (and ex-every other job) Shimon Peres goes job hunting. I'm extra happy there are subtitles so you can enjoy if you're not from around here.
Welcome to the wartime TMI challenge
It turns out, when you're reading everything with a grain of salt, you end up absorbing some pretty bad-tasting discomfort.
The 4th kidnapped boy: that’s called disgust – go ahead and feel it.
Disgust. There are a lot of things to be utterly disgusted with around here. I feel disgust constantly. It's usually aimed at opinions that differ from mine; minute triggers related to lifestyles that differ from mine; ways of communicating I don't agree with. Shame. That is something I feel less often, but it does come... Continue Reading →