Everything and nothing

So I havent written for a little while. I had thought to myself oh i havent really got a let to say, not so much has really happened. The more i think about it, the more i think thats frankly not true.

Ill start then with the stunning ashes victory. The first time England have beaten Australia in a cricket series for 18 years! I have to admit im sitting here listening to a radio summary of the past sporting week - great stuff. That said its not exactly setting the israeli public alight, and with israel loosing to Latvia in the European basketball Championships things are not on a sporting high over here.

On a personal note, ulpan continues and in fact is only going to remain the bain of my life for the next week and a half - hurrumph. On a brighter note Pardes has started up again its bigger and bouncier than ever. It seems like the community in its embryonic stage appears to be shaping up well. The incoming educators are a likeable bunch and weve had the opportunity to bond a little already and we went last week on our 2nd Temple Period Tiyul around the old city etc. Pay attention, i dont say this very often about the Educators programme, but the Tiyul was really good, useful and frankly well-worth it. Theres now also this funky new 3d computer tour of Jerusalem of the 2nd Temple period. So we were able to walk through the streets of Jerusalem and actually to the Temple, in the footsteps of the pilgrims of yesteryear! Superb.

Whilst im gushing - these are all relative statements - as i sat at the opening Pardes, cheesy cheese and wine thing i was struck by a sense of the fact of how grateful i am to be doing what i am doing and being able to be at Pardes, in jerusalem for an extended period, learning Jewish stuff.

Most exciting of all is the fact that i can confirm that i am the proud owner of an apartment in Jerusalem! For those of you with decent Jerusalem geography its in Arnona on Shalom Yehuda. I got the go ahead to move in from my current land-lady here, so ill be able to live at my new abode from the beginning of December. My own stake in the State of Israel, my home hopefully when i return from my teaching stint in the States 4 years from now!

So things are good here then, long may it continue!

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Jews are people too

So with University work all done and having let my hair down for ?autumn? I can once again return to servicing my blog. And so to the promised thoughts on disengagement now that the dust is beginning to settle.... (no pun intended).

The other day i was on the phone to a friend of mine, she is considerable to my right when it comes to the israeli political spectrum. Something she said in the conversation really upset me and got me quite angry. I told her how difficult it had been to watch the TV reports of the evacuations, as ive said before, wherever you stand politically, watching fellow jews being forceably evacuated from their homes is a gauling experience. My friend was surprised that as a leftie i cared about the settlers. I was ASTOUNDED! Of course i care, I am human and i am part of the Jewish People. I just believe that leaving Gaza is ultimatately better for Israel and, therefore, better for the Jewish People than staying. Just as the majority of Gaza's Jewish residents and their anti-disengagement supporters also believe they are acting in the best interests of our Country and our People.

And for me, as a supporter of disengagement, there is another factor - the burden. I was a supporter of Oslo too, which has proven unfortunately not to have led us to the Peace it envisaged, and of course violence persists. Every day since the disengagement i am left to wonder wheather this is the right thing to do, risking that things will ultimately turn out for the best. I sincerely backed this plan because of its benefits for israel in the long turn, not becasue i believe that in and of itself it will result in peace. (However, it is impossible to make peace whilst remaining in Gaza draining our resources and wasting lives). All the while i told myself that 'this is not a concession to terrorism, this is not a concession to terrorism, we have our own good reasons for leaving'. I still believe that to be true and that it doesnt mean were about to leave tel aviv if ketusha rockets are being fired on their too. But not to have my head even slightly influenced by hamas and islamic jihad's celebrations and proclomations is very difficult.

In the end it doesnt matter to me what the terrorists do or say , because i have a strong sense of what this country should and should not be doing for its own good, and i know what are my red-lines.

Of course that doesnt stop the questioning going on in my own head along with the nagging prospect that years from now those of us in favour of the disengagement might be proved wrong. The consequences of being right to me, open up the possibility of a distant peace. The consequences of being wrong from the perspectives of internal politics, social issues and of course external security do not bare thinking about