Spoon -- Sister Jack

So. I am at work. I am working. My neck and back hurt. And in irritating ways. When I move my neck a lot often it hurts less then when I move it a little, like shifting my gaze from screen to paper. And then it's not always consistent. It's the sudden and unwelcome twitch, and that's the fun part! Also, I got a lot of sleep last night and I still feel very woozy and out of it.

So it was good today listening to the new Israelisms podcast and hearing Charley and Carol talking about Disengagement and Gaza. The whole thing on TV and in the papers makes me so proud of Israelis. While Israel is not perfect, I believe that one cannot be a Jew in today's world and not be a Zionist. There's just too many places in time where Jews thought themselves safe, integrated into society, and then the other shoe dropped, the new laws came, the pogroms, the expulsion. I am not even sure this will not happen in the US. I have people scoff when I say that, but I am not at all convinced the US does not have a fundamentalist antisemitic future coming. Jews need a safe place in the world.

And the high ideals and convictions of the Jewish state are on display this week. The way that in Israel we have people disagreeing vehemently and still being civil to each other in the vast majority of cases. I know Israel has come a long way from its pioneer days, and that the country is not as idealistic and socialistic as it used to be. But it's still a remarkable place and a remarkable people of which I'm proud to be a part.

So it's a sunny, perfect day outside and I'm feeling happy underneath all my muscle aching. I hope everyone has a good weekend, and Shabbat Shalom.