Sunday, October 29, 2023

A Frightening Time to be Jewish


I was having a hard time today. I was feeling overwhelmed with current events, and watching video footage of a violent mob in Russia that took over an airport because they heard a flight was arriving from Israel. This mob had the expressed purpose of "killing the Jews"


I have felt so frustrated that the news keeps showing footage of Gaza and the horrible effects of bombing there, yet the news fails to mention that Hamas continues to fire hundreds of rockets at Israel daily. Israel dropped thousands of fliers urging Palestinian people to move to southern Gaza out of harms way - but the news failed to show that Hamas set up roadblocks and prevented civilians from heading south because Hamas wants more dead Palestinians because they know this helps their cause.

There is no shortage of voices screaming to "Free Palestine" on the internet yet many of these individuals know very little about the history of this conflict. Talking points will never do justice to the complicated political, historical and cultural divisions of this area.

People have put up fliers of the individuals that Hamas has taken hostage (over 200+ men, women and children) and these fliers have been torn down. Jewish students at NYC College were forced to hide in a Library Attic to escape a Pro-Hamas Mob. This isn't abstract, the ADL has recorded a dramatic Increase in U.S. Antisemitic Incidents in the past two weeks. Antisemitic Incidents have hit the highest Level Ever Recorded.

I don't like Netanyahu, I disagree with most of his policies, but NOTHING justifies the brutal torture, rape and slaughter of over 1300 innocent Israelis. Without even acknowledging the need to mourn their loved ones, Jews are being told it is their fault. Massive protests chanting "Death to Israel" or "Kill the Jews" is NOT going to free Palestine. Hamas are terrorists. They don't want peace. Their only goal is the eradication of Jews.

Please please please look beyond the headlines that are only designed to get ratings and try to learn more about BOTH sides of this issue and understand that your Jewish friends are struggling right now. They are mourning, they are scared, they are angry, and they feel very alone. 



Monday, October 23, 2023

Reflections on My First Year in Oregon

 


Reflections on My First Year in Oregon

 

Last year my husband and I made a big change and moved from our home in Arizona to live near my daughter and grandchildren in Oregon. We both love it here.  Obviously moving from the desert to the Pacific Northwest is a big life change and there have been so many things I have noticed over this past year that make living here so special.  


·      The best part of being here is of course being so close to our grandchildren.


·      Appreciating the changing seasons.


·      The water – the incredible access to rivers, lakes, and the amazing Oregon coast.


·      OMG the wineries – so many incredible wineries with spectacular views and such a fantastic selection of wines.


·      The abundance of food that grows here, it grows everywhere – even in my own back yard.


·      Learning new skills like making my own jam


·      Hiking and exploring beautiful new places


·      Enjoying the slightly slower pace of life here and enjoying the simple things like

o  Seeing deer in my yard


o  Picking berries everywhere

o  Playing in fall leaves


o  Sitting by the fire when it’s snowing outside

 

It has been a great year and there is no doubt we are both happy that Oregon is now our home. 



Monday, October 16, 2023

Beyond the Headlines; This is personal for me

 

I am having a hard time putting my thoughts into words about the events of this past week. It is hard to watch the polarizing comments blasted across social media, especially when this feels so very personal to me. 

 

Let’s start with some context. When I was young I fell in love with reading and somehow that love led me to an interest in the Holocaust. Books like Ann Frank’s famous diary and others gave me an awareness of one of the worst events in human history and the concept of human’s capacity to hate and mistreat other people.  I felt so moved by the stories I read, even more so with the realization that in all likelihood members of my own extended family were included in the tortured and murdered souls of the Nazi atrocities, but even that felt somewhat removed from my life.   Nazis were defeated. I lived in the United States, far removed from all of that so it was even more shocking when I came home one day and had a conversation with my Mom about a book I was reading. I told my Mom about the story of Alan and Naomi and how sad this book made me feel. Naomi had fled the Nazis and was staying with relatives in New York City, but the terrors she had witness had affected her greatly and Alan was tasked with befriending her. The characters in the book were subjected to abuse and ridicule for being Jewish, and this wasn’t in Germany – it was here in this country. As I shared about the story that had such an impact on me, my mother opened up and shared with me about the many times she had been called names and even physically assaulted simply because she was Jewish.  I felt so many emotions; I felt shocked and sad that this had happened to my mother, I felt angry that people would do this, I felt scared with the knowledge that antisemitism wasn’t just something in a history textbook, but rather it was something very much here and now, and strangely I felt a bond with all my relatives who had come before me, everyone who had survived pogroms in Russia, who had endured in the Holocaust and who continued to face struggles. Somehow, I knew that my heritage came with a unique set of baggage.  

 

Although my mother and grandmother were not religious, I became interested in learning more about Judaism. More than just an appreciation for good Jewish food, I wanted to understand the customs and beliefs. 

 

Last year I fulfilled a lifelong wish to finally visit Israel. It was an amazing trip that I will cherish.  I was overwhelmed with the beauty and the incredible history of that land.  What I saw there was not the headlines from the media, but people living their lives.  

 


The events this week have left me with a profound sadness.  Once again Jewish people being tortured and slaughtered simply for being Jewish.  The scenes from the music festival were especially chilling for me because I could picture my own daughter, who has worked at many large music festivals. I cannot even fathom the depravity of people who could kill toddlers and babies.  The images are simply too graphic and too horrendous to even process, yet even before the bodies have been buried there are groups of people not only justifying this atrocity, but actually cheering about it.  THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION for the brutal rape, torture and murder of innocent people. 

 

Let me be clear – I don’t agree with the current Israeli government. I think the expanding settlements in the West bank are wrong. I wish I had the wisdom of Solomon and I could solve the troubles in the Middle East.  The British Empire created this colossal mess and this entire area has been struggling for over a century, but that does not and will not justify what happened on October 7th.  My heart breaks for the Palestinian people, especially the children who are suffering so greatly.  


All of this is awful.  In our polarized country today it seems as if everyone must immediately pick sides, but two things can be true at the same time. I can feel profound sadness and grief for the senseless loss of life in Israel and I can hold a desire for safety of the Palestinian people and a peaceful solution, but I cannot and will not ever be able to justify horrific acts of terrorism.   Hamas is evil and as long as they continue to spew their hatred of Jews and their desire to wipe Israel off the map there cannot be peace.  

 

I am concerned about the rising level of antisemitism in our world today.  I know the events of this week have given rise to even more antisemitism.  In the past I have been in conversations where people have made antisemitic comments.  Apparently, I don’t “look Jewish” so people are shocked when I tell them that I am offended by what they said.  My husband wore his Israel T-shirt to work the other day. I got him the shirt on my trip last year. While wearing his shirt he was flipped off by someone. The news has shown large rallies where the crowd was chanting “F*@K Jews”.  It is frightening. 

 

I am sharing all of this to simply ask everyone to please hold room in your hearts for all of humanity. Please speak up and call out any form of bigotry or prejudice when you see it. Please allow someone to grieve without saying they somehow got what they deserved, whether they are Israeli or Palestinian. Please understand the history and nuance of this region is vast and complex, talking points will never adequately describe the ‘truth’.  Most of all please be kind and support your friends and family, your neighbors and your community because that is truly the only way we will ever be able to work toward peace.