Checking in....
As both America and Israel are experiencing massive upheavals and uncertain futures, I'm hanging on to hope by trying new things....
During these crazy-making times, when it feels like the world is slipping backwards at a dizzying pace into a long-forgotten time where we were awful people and proud of it, with some new 2025 additions — you know, like, yay-plastic, boo-diversity, Go White Men, equality bad, whoo-hoo fossil fuels, cheer for the bully, laugh at the weak, greed is good, women can die, embryos are people, trans people are aliens, Mexico is the enemy, Canada can disappear, Greenland is for sale, Gaza is prime real estate, hostages don’t matter, neither do Palestinians, Bibi is King, Trump is King, Elon Musk is King of Kings, meanness is in, empathy is out, shared humanity is for snowflakes…..*sigh* — it is hard to see a path forward. It feels strange to even think about a normal future. It also feels surreal to go through regular life as if things are just lah-de-dah, ho-hum, let’s go for a walk and watch the sunset on the beach.
Nevertheless, like many of you, in that juggle between insanity and sanity, between losing our humanity and desperately trying to retain our humanity, I decided to davka space for things like sunset on the beach. I spent a long weekend with my family at the Dead Sea (except for those who couldn’t get out of reserve duty….). I shut off my computer for three days and did not watch the news. It was lovely.
And then when I came back to civilization, I learned that the three hostages were released, unrecognizable compared to their former selves, reminiscent of survivors of the camps, and full of terrible stories of torture…. Alongside pictures of Sara Netanyahu marking the moment by posing with her $10,000 Gucci bag in a fancy hotel in Washington, courtesy of the Israeli taxpayer. I’m surprised she wasn’t wearing Melania’s famous “I don’t care do you?” jacket. It would have suited her to a tee.
Anyhoo….
I’m back to work and have some news to share.
Book launch!
ICYMI, my new book came out two weeks ago, IN MY JEWISH STATE: How I was trained in pro-Israel advocacy, and how I learned to talk back to my culture, find my own humanity, and fight for peace
We had an amazing launch event. My guest panelists, Judy Maltz, Becca Strober, and Ilene Prusher, shared vital insights about the current political situation, education into identity, and the rhetoric of war. You can watch the recording on Youtube, in three parts, part 1, part 2 (see below), and part 3: (Don’t forget to subscribe to our new Youtube channel!)
NEW PODCAST SEASON:
Women Ending War, Ceasefire Edition
A lot has changed in our region since we finished Season 2. Ceasefire, hostage exchange, new bully in the White House…… In our new Season 3, Ceasefire Edition, we look at all of that. Hopes and dreams are balanced with harsh realities and new fears. We are traveling around, spending time in Beit Jalla and Bethlehem, and meeting people from different corners of this land.
We open the season with a very powerful interview with Amira Musallam, a longtime peace activist and Bethlehem native, about some very difficult issues in the West Bank -- and how non-violent activists can make real change on the ground.
You can also listen on Spotify or Apple, and follow us on our new Youtube channel, on our new Instagram channel , or on Facebook.
Please subscribe, comment, and share!! I love to hear from you, so please feel free to chat with me.
And please support our work. We are counting on your help to continue activating peace. You can make your donation here. Your support keeps us going!
THANK YOU!!
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