Rough week but something bringing a smile to my face.
Stay with me until the end for something positive.
[Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 18 seconds.]
Let’s get to it. Some background.
I’m a non-practicing Jewish person. I was Bat Mitzvahed. I was Confirmed. The hubs is not Jewish. When planning our wedding celebration, including the ceremony, he had the idea to incorporate some Jewish traditions. And as one of my non-Jewish friends said, every wedding needs a Hora.
The hubs and I celebrate some traditions in the Jewish religion to date. Lighting the menorah is one example. Participating in family events, such as Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, is another. When I do go to temple, I still remember the prayers in Hebrew and what they mean.
[Pro tip: The website, JewFAQ (yes, you can laugh - it’s a genius name), is fantastic for laying out the phonetic pronunciations of Hebrew prayers. It’s come in handy for the hubs on many of occasions.]
While I identify as Jewish, I don’t practice Judaism on a regular basis. I don’t go to temple unless I have a specific event to attend. The people in my life know my favorite sandwich is a dungeness crab melt with bacon. Those ingredients violate pretty much every Kosher rule on the planet.
So with that said, it’s been a shitty week with the massacre in Israel over the weekend. The event itself. The disinformation being circulated. The politicization. Having to provide “context” for something so abhorrent.
I’ve had family members who have had bomb scares at their Jewish-affiliated schools, their synagogues and other gatherings. Each time, it pained me because lots of people don’t understand what that actually means living it.
Regardless of what one might think about the land Israel is on, you have people who were mass murdered, raped, kidnapped and who knows what else based on their Jewish heritage.
And yet the collective outrage has been on how the Jews had it coming. The leader of Israel is this. He’s that.
In what world is that ok? Justifying such atrocities on human beings not seen since the Holocaust. Explain to me please. And people wonder how the Holocaust happened?
You have a terrorist organization using innocent human beings as shields so they don’t get killed. This violates so many international laws, and yet here we are.
Statements from one of the top universities talking about the “Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. Really? That’s how you want to frame it?
If you haven’t already, please reach out to your Jewish friends regardless of how observant they are. They’re struggling and could use more support. Not less. If you don’t know what to say, ask “how can I best support you right now?”
Because here’s the thing as we know with every other oppressed group out there.
Allies outside of the oppressed group matter.
The more non-Jews who speak out about how barbaric this terrorist attack was (NO CONTEXT REQUIRED) and continues to be, the better.
Let’s go to something positive, very positive
Two worlds of mine collided today. It resulted in the release of a podcast episode I am encouraging you to listen to if you have some time today.
Introducing Indie Lee, a self-made cosmetics maven, and Nicole Christie, a lifelong storyteller who has a compelling podcast called ‘Here for Me’.
Indie was my roommate in college and is still a close friend. Nicole has been a friend for many years and we met through a group called 85 Broads (now known as Ellevest).
Together they delivered a manifesto around not being a passenger in your life.
They talked about why self-care is not selfish. Remember how I always talk about the airplane analogy? How important it is that you need to put your own mask on before helping others?
They cover those points as well.
It’s uplifting. It’s purposeful. It’s about being here for you and the power of choosing yourself.
In terms of posting this week, this is about as much as I have in the tank right now.
More soon. Thanks for reading.
PS — Every celebration needs a Hora.
Well said.