In Defense of Zionism

I disagree with the current trend in academic circles stating that Zionist philosophy is racist and discriminatory.

It could not be further from the truth!

The textbook definition of Zionism is "the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, advocated, from its inception, tangible as well as spiritual aims." It is an ideology based on thousands of years of persecution and has only been able to become reality in the past century.

Zionism calls for Jews to live in the land of Israel. It does not call for non-Jews to get out. It does not prevent non-Jews from living there. Only misguided statements made in the name of Zionism could possibly be regarded as discriminatory, such as statements that only Jews belong in Israel. Although such statements have been made by extreme elements in the Jewish religion, we all know that there are extremists in every religion and political group, and similar to other religions or political groups, they do not represent the view of the majority.

I am increasingly worried about public opinion regarding Zionism, and some people I have met mistakenly believe it has to do with Israel's policy in the Palestinian Territories (which is based on very real security threats and not ideological yearnings - furthermore, they fail to take into account the daily terrorist attacks [yes - even in June 2005 they still happen daily but are not reported] against Jewish Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, in the territories which make this policy a necessity for survival). These misinformed people talk derogatively about Zionism but actually have no idea what it is truly about, namely establishing a place where Jews can be Jewish and never feel or be threatened for it.

As a Jew who believes in the benevolence of Zionism and supports the right of the Jewish people to live in the land of Israel along with others, I feel it is my job to explain this purity of thought.

The 23rd

For those of you who know Yoav and I well, you know we go out to dinner every 23rd of the month, coinciding with our first date, which was March 23, 2001. Never mind we didn't actually start dating officially until almost a month later, we still celebrate the 23rd of every month, except for April when we celebrate the 17th (our wedding anniversary) and March, when we celebrate the 26th (because that's when Yoav proposed). It's complicated but fun and we love it that way.

So tonight we went to Firenze, a trattoria in Brookline (I know, it sounds weird to say 'trattoria" and "Brookline" in the same phrase, ma che si puo' fa - e' proprio cosi). Our waitress was the daughter of the owner, who is Fiorentino (quel sorprese...) and we talked to her a little about Italy. Then we saw four women come in speaking Italian, which made the experience all the more exciting. I kind of wanted to go up and speak to them, but when you're already in 4 speaking a language, finding someone else who speaks it isn't too special and in past situations I've always felt a little uncomfortable.

Ma comunque

What was FANTASTIC was that Yoav and I had several full-length conversation in Italian. He is improving exponentially and really proving he has a gift for learning languages. As opposed to me, who loves languages and studies very hard to learn them, he likes them and only has to mildly concentrate to pick them up. Interesting...I guess that means there's a good chance our kids will pick up languages well, grazie a Dio.

Buona notte a tutti.

Motivation, or lack thereof

Summer is always a slow time at work. We have few phone calls, few information requests, and few projects. As a result, we're usually doing the small organizational stuff that's been shoved aside during the year when we were scrambling for 10 extra minutes in the day.

But all this inactivity leads the brain to become sluggish and apathetic, to the extent that when someone actually calls and needs something dachuf, immediately, we're slow to respond. I usually feel angry when someone calls me and asks for something because I've become so lazy that I don't want to move but don't want to do anything else either.

This last hour of the day is the most excruciating example of such a feeling...thankfully Yoav blogs so frequently that I have plenty to read. But I've still been looking at my watch every five minutes for the past hour.

Later tonight I have Toastmasters, which should be great - I've missed so many meetings that I don't feel as connected to the group as I used to, although Blaire and I are still best friends. Tonight I think I'll go out with the usual group of people who go to Cornwall's for dinner and a beer after the meeting. Blaire is going too, which will be a treat.

The Perfect Job

BTW - Here is my latest list of ideal jobs:

1. US Diplomat - traveling the world for 2-4 years at a time. Imagine: the State Dept. PAYS for you to learn a new language, in addition to taking care of housing. You arrive at a new destination with locals ready to help you learn the culture. This is the closest thing to perfect that I can imagine. It fills me with a sense of purpose and idealism. It makes me swoon with the international possibilities. I can't stand it - it's too exciting and too impractical with a genius husband to think about too much. And yet...


2. Public Servant - I'm really starting to be intrigued about becoming involved in local politics. It's something I've always thought about, but certain professional realities are making it seem more like a possibility and less like a daydream. Ideally, being able to affect both local and foreign policy issues at once would be my preference.


3. International Communications Director - for a large company with offices throughout the world. Ideally I would be sent to these offices for extended periods of time (up to a month) to oversee their communications practices and standardize messaging.


4. Executive Director or Director of Marketing - for an international language school. Ideally I would like to travel abroad to market the school to various audiences. As a result of my own experiences at such schools, which was PHENOMINAL to save the least, I would love the possibility of reliving the experiences of each and every student as they learn their new city one step at a time. I could help them become at ease, give them tours, plan events, find housing for them, and just enjoy the experience.

Interested parties - please contact me directly!

:)

Israeli Independence Day

There is nothing like feeling a sense of belonging - to a family, a group of friends or a culture. The Israeli Independence Day celebration at Government Center downtown was a combination of all of the above.

We started with a rally in Copley Plaza and marched to Government Center - Ayelet, my younger sister-in-law, headed the march with the Israeli Scouts holding a flag that flew in the 6-Day-War of 1967. On the way I met a good friend and we marched together. I stopped periodically to take pictures. Having Ayelet at the front of the parade holding such a meaningful flag gave me the chance to act like a proud parent and take a dozen pictures of her.

At Government Center we heard the Israeli rock band Machina, who played a combination of Rock and Ska, two genres I loved in high school and still love now - it has a satisfyingly crunchy edge that makes me feel like dancing. Everywhere I looked I saw people I knew - colleagues, various members of the Jewish and Israeli community, friends, family.

I arrived this morning on my own, but I managed to find different groups of people every hour to hang out with and talk to -and I spent a good 6 hours there today! Where else could you do something similar?

In college, when I was enthralled with Greek culture, this was the kind of welcoming I wanted into the Greek community. It was obviously difficult due to the fact that A) I'm not Greek and B) Not all communities are as welcoming as mine is, although I guess when you're a member of the tribe (MOT) things are different - same as the Greek or any other community.

In short, it feels wonderful to belong, to be part of something that is larger than yourself and from which you can draw energy. That is what I felt today with the Israeli community in particular and the Jewish community in general. It comes from a shared history, present and future. It's a sense of "we've been through a lot of shit together over the past 2000 years, but we're still here and going strong. Hot Damn."

I don't think it's impossible to recreate this situation with other cultures, for instance if I spent a significant amount of time learning Greek and then actually living in Greece, I'm sure I could get the same type of response - it's just a question of effort and dedication. Likewise with the Italian or any other culture - it's just a question of effort. It helps when you "look the part" - looking Mediterranean rather than Asian, for example in this case.

Let's wait and see what community welcomes me home next.

The Laugh of a Culture

Sometimes we have experiences that change the way we look at life, react to others and exist in general. For me, living in Italy was one of several such experiences.

The challenge is not in getting up the courage for this adventure, or even carrying it out once it is in process.

The challenge is maintaining the positive effects of it per sempre, forever.

Living in Italy was like the caress of a warm breeze on a sunny day...it carried with it warmth, love, the smell of wonderful cuisine, the sense of humor of a nation, the laugh of a culture.

Once you return, that breeze remains with you, in your heart and swirling around your shoulders, but eventually it fades, leaving only a faint memory and no substance. An Italian song on the radio, an unexpected conversation from strangers on the street, and you remember once again, it aches in your heart as you remember what you once knew, what you once were.

How do you hold on to it so that it is a substantial part of you forever?

First entry for Alli Shapira

I have been thinking of starting a blog for awhile now, but procrastination and the excuse that “I don’t have the time” have held me back. I never succeeded in keeping a journal when I was younger – my thoughts always raced passed my pencil, which struggled to keep up. I had somewhat more luck with travel journals, especially when I traveled alone, but again it was only in certain situations and only when I was feeling particularly inspired. The idea that I can only write when melancholy or downright depressed is something I always though poetic yet limiting, so voilà – my attempt at writing a blog.

Of course, with this information in mind, you’ll find it predictable that my inspiration to start a blog comes from a current melancholy or from romantic notions, namely my recent uncertainty about my future, my job, and the purpose of my life. On a more positive note, I also have my new husband Yoav to thank for blogging inspiration. Ever since he started a blog a few months ago, I’ve been driving him crazy with my constant edits and critiques, but I’ve also enjoyed hearing him speak in a previously unheard way.

I realize the need to reconcile my above statement about writing conditions with my current job, which involves writing of all kinds – speeches, proposals, editorials, letters, etc. Because these are a different kind of writing genre for me (“professional” as opposed to “creative”), in my mind they are bound by different rules, which allow me to be an extremely proficient professional writer with only a cup of coffee, an early alarm clock and a closed door.

If I were able to develop my creative writing to a point where it no longer depended upon my mental state, it could make a valuable contribution to my professional writing, which would become more introspective and poetic.

What an excellent goal.