For those of you that have known me for a while, you know I have a not-so-secret love for Alan Dershowitz. This love has grown over time. Now, it's not the kind of love you're thinking. I do not wish to seek a relationship from this man. It's an academic love. It's a deep love- but one that stems from reading his books and wishing I could be a student of his. This love grew just a bit more with the knowledge that he and Professor Steven Weinberg (Nobel Prize laureate in Physics and Professor at the University of Texas) started a petition urging the University and College Union (UCU) in the UK to revoke their boycott of academic institutions in Israel.
I originally thought of writing this in my political blog (www.politicalram.blogspot.com) but thought better of it. As I read in the Jerusalem Post this morning, this petition has reached 10,000 signatures in just seven weeks. Can you see why I love the Dersh so much?? Professor Weinberg said "Today more than 10,000 of the world's leading scholars speak together with one voice to demand academic freedom for all scholars and to declare that we are all Israeli academics for purposes of any academic boycott." These two men are brilliant in my eyes.
As a product of an Israeli institution, I find this vote from the UCU to boycott any Israeli institution to be rediculous. Politics aside, I wish more people could have the kind of education I am getting. Alan Dershowitz see's this- he's teaching in the fall at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC). We really are the Harvard of Israel. It's entertaining to me.
Perhaps, in the fall, my love for the Dersh will grow even more... one can hope, right?
30 July 2007
29 July 2007
l-o-v-e
Love. Songs are sung about it. Books are written about it. Movies are made about it. What's so special about this thing called love? The six-year-old I babysit for has a girlfriend. To listen to him talk about his girlfriend, you would think he could marry her tomorrow. "She is the most beautifulest girl I've ever seen" is a phrase commonly heard when you bring up her name. When talking to his mom about it, I mentioned to her that I wished more people my age would feel the way he feels for this girl at six-years-old. It's incredible!
My grandparents have been married for over 60 years and it's crazy to see them still so in love. They've lived through hell and back but still care for each other so much. My dad and his wife are similar. My mom calls it dependency but I say my dad met his match in my step-mom. I should be so lucky! So what is this elusive thing people all over the world search for?
I can't say I have fully enjoyed my journey "searching" for love. I wish most people would not have the kind of dysfunctional relationships I've had but it hasn't all been bad. My last few choices have been rather amazing... for me. I remain friends with a few of them. Was it ever really love? In some instances- yes. Have any of them lead to the ring of the finger and a house in the 'burbs? Nope!
So this "crazy little thing called love" eludes me. It escapes me. It makes me wonder "do I really love this guy" or "did I really love that guy" all while thinking "maybe I was just in love with the idea of him..." And perhaps I should stop thinking and just enjoy it. For now, I've stopped thinking and I just do. I've taken Talya's advice (but shhhh... don't tell her that!) .
What I have learned from the songs, the movies, and especially the books is that love comes in all forms. Sometimes we shove those away whom we really care for because we get scared to feel that engulfing feeling of losing ourselves in love. Sometimes people come into our lives at the wrong time but we make it the right time with persistence and patience. Sometimes we're are even just ourselves... as needy or too-independent as we may be - just in hopes that they see us for who we are and don't go running for the hills.
What have I learned the most so far? You never know when you'll find someone you care about who cares about you too. It could happen on vacation, you could meet in a bar or a hospital even. They can seem totally wrong for you off the bat but that's what makes you strive to make things work. Love is a crazy thing that sometimes leaves us heartbroken but, in the end, when you find "the one" - it's all worth it.
My grandparents have been married for over 60 years and it's crazy to see them still so in love. They've lived through hell and back but still care for each other so much. My dad and his wife are similar. My mom calls it dependency but I say my dad met his match in my step-mom. I should be so lucky! So what is this elusive thing people all over the world search for?
I can't say I have fully enjoyed my journey "searching" for love. I wish most people would not have the kind of dysfunctional relationships I've had but it hasn't all been bad. My last few choices have been rather amazing... for me. I remain friends with a few of them. Was it ever really love? In some instances- yes. Have any of them lead to the ring of the finger and a house in the 'burbs? Nope!
So this "crazy little thing called love" eludes me. It escapes me. It makes me wonder "do I really love this guy" or "did I really love that guy" all while thinking "maybe I was just in love with the idea of him..." And perhaps I should stop thinking and just enjoy it. For now, I've stopped thinking and I just do. I've taken Talya's advice (but shhhh... don't tell her that!) .
What I have learned from the songs, the movies, and especially the books is that love comes in all forms. Sometimes we shove those away whom we really care for because we get scared to feel that engulfing feeling of losing ourselves in love. Sometimes people come into our lives at the wrong time but we make it the right time with persistence and patience. Sometimes we're are even just ourselves... as needy or too-independent as we may be - just in hopes that they see us for who we are and don't go running for the hills.
What have I learned the most so far? You never know when you'll find someone you care about who cares about you too. It could happen on vacation, you could meet in a bar or a hospital even. They can seem totally wrong for you off the bat but that's what makes you strive to make things work. Love is a crazy thing that sometimes leaves us heartbroken but, in the end, when you find "the one" - it's all worth it.
27 July 2007
Immigration
As I read the Jerusalem Post this morning, I thought to myself "why did I move to Israel?" I remember my idealistic reasons: to change a country, to better myself... because I'm a Zionist. But I sit back and think "why?" Truth is, Israel is the only thing I've ever loved more than myself. I'm a selfish person by nature. Sure, I help out, I do what I can- but like any woman my age, I'm selfish. That's what your 20's are supposed to be about. So, in my selfish stage in life, I moved halfway around the world... without realizing the hold it would have on my family.
Recently, I returned to Michigan. I love the little hamlet of a town my mom lives in. It's quiet. Everyone has been great with my mom being in the hospital. Neighbors ask how she is- they even stop by to see her. What struck me most upon my return was how much I missed it here. It's hard to be pulled in two different places. The older I get, the more I realize I might want to raise a family near my own family. But I have family in Israel too. Sure, they aren't my parents- just a lot of aunts and uncles... but I have family there too. What does my Aliyah to Israel mean if I wind up back here? My kids will always have an Israeli mom. I will always speak in Hebrew to my children. Am I still Israeli if I move back?
There are so many questions and I don't want to know the answers right now. This was exactly my fear. So many young people move to Israel without knowing if this is exactly what they want. It's a hard life to lead. It's especially hard on anglo-immigrants because we grew up in free area's where you didn't need to worry for your own safety. In Michigan, I was never concerned about anything. Robberies were even rarely heard of. Yet, living in Israel, people back in the States ask me if I take buses or take cabs because buses may not be safe. Just for the record. I take a bus everywhere. It's perfectly safe. On one bus ride to Nachsholim, I sat next to three Arab men who kept telling me I was the prettiest woman they had ever seen and how much they LOVE Americans. Just my luck.
So, on my return I can say I'd sooner ride an Egged bus than a Detroit Smart bus. The Israel Railway is much nicer than the Canadian rail. I miss my family to no end and to know that I will leave them in a few months kills me. To know that I've just met someone amazing and I have to leave him too, bothers me. This all makes me re-think my choice to move to Israel. Yet, I have two years left of school. In two years, I might end up back in Michigan for grad school... ready to start my adult life. Although, something tells me I will always be a 12 year old at heart. ;o)
Recently, I returned to Michigan. I love the little hamlet of a town my mom lives in. It's quiet. Everyone has been great with my mom being in the hospital. Neighbors ask how she is- they even stop by to see her. What struck me most upon my return was how much I missed it here. It's hard to be pulled in two different places. The older I get, the more I realize I might want to raise a family near my own family. But I have family in Israel too. Sure, they aren't my parents- just a lot of aunts and uncles... but I have family there too. What does my Aliyah to Israel mean if I wind up back here? My kids will always have an Israeli mom. I will always speak in Hebrew to my children. Am I still Israeli if I move back?
There are so many questions and I don't want to know the answers right now. This was exactly my fear. So many young people move to Israel without knowing if this is exactly what they want. It's a hard life to lead. It's especially hard on anglo-immigrants because we grew up in free area's where you didn't need to worry for your own safety. In Michigan, I was never concerned about anything. Robberies were even rarely heard of. Yet, living in Israel, people back in the States ask me if I take buses or take cabs because buses may not be safe. Just for the record. I take a bus everywhere. It's perfectly safe. On one bus ride to Nachsholim, I sat next to three Arab men who kept telling me I was the prettiest woman they had ever seen and how much they LOVE Americans. Just my luck.
So, on my return I can say I'd sooner ride an Egged bus than a Detroit Smart bus. The Israel Railway is much nicer than the Canadian rail. I miss my family to no end and to know that I will leave them in a few months kills me. To know that I've just met someone amazing and I have to leave him too, bothers me. This all makes me re-think my choice to move to Israel. Yet, I have two years left of school. In two years, I might end up back in Michigan for grad school... ready to start my adult life. Although, something tells me I will always be a 12 year old at heart. ;o)
01 July 2007
almost the end...
It's been a while since I was this relaxed. Some may think I'm stoned but in reality, I had a great weekend. For the past two weekends, I have worked for BBYO in Nachsholim as a Shabbat programmer. It's not the easiest job in the world but I love it. This past weekend, it hit me: I am going to be in Detroit in two weeks. I am leaving my home in Israel for three months to return to my parents, my siblings, my friends, and the rest of my family in America. I'm scared. I haven't been back in over a year. I don't know what I will be returning to. I'm nervous. The future makes me nervous. I'm also excited. I miss my parents. I miss my family. I still feel that three months may be over-kill.
In three months and two weeks, I am hoping to return to Israel with a clear mind. Lately, I have thought a lot about relationships. I was having a conversation with a friend about marriage (because my friend is newly engaged) and she asked me what I look for in a man. I don't have a cookie cutter image of what I want. I want someone who makes me laugh a lot, someone who compliments me, and someone who makes me think. Immediately, a picture of a friend of mine popped into my head. Our grandmothers are best friends. My mom grew up with his dad. My grandmother (and his grandmother) cornered me at my cousins wedding to try their hand at convincing me that he is the one for me.
So his image popped into my mind. At 23, if he had asked me to date him, I would have. When I announced to my family that I was in the process of making Aliya- my grandmother said something astonishing "I thought Marc would have been the one to move before you did... maybe you will both end up there!" That thought crossed my mind recently when I got an e-mail from him saying he is coming to Israel on Taglit and extending his trip. I got so excited! He arrives tomorrow. My grandmother calls him my future husband. I equate it to Bridget Jones and Marc Darcey. He's very quiet, somewhat shy, very reserved. I....am none of those things.
So, just as I am ending my first year of school and my first year in Israel, the thought of my "future husband" re-enters my brain, just as it did when I was 23. Except, I'm older now, a bit wiser, a lot more cynical about relationships, and I live in Israel. He does not. Who knows if our paths will cross romantically - but when my friend asked me about my ideal guy... he is who I thought of. His kindness is astonishing. His ability to make me laugh ranks up there with previous boyfriends. He's the ideal guy. Kind, generous, sweet, always gives me candy, funny, insanely smart... you get the picture. He's also completely opposite from me. He's shy, quiet, somewhat introverted and a democrat. So... maybe he's not so ideal after-all. Either way, I have the next three months to clear my mind and figure out what my ideal mate really is.
Two weeks... just two weeks...almost the end.
In three months and two weeks, I am hoping to return to Israel with a clear mind. Lately, I have thought a lot about relationships. I was having a conversation with a friend about marriage (because my friend is newly engaged) and she asked me what I look for in a man. I don't have a cookie cutter image of what I want. I want someone who makes me laugh a lot, someone who compliments me, and someone who makes me think. Immediately, a picture of a friend of mine popped into my head. Our grandmothers are best friends. My mom grew up with his dad. My grandmother (and his grandmother) cornered me at my cousins wedding to try their hand at convincing me that he is the one for me.
So his image popped into my mind. At 23, if he had asked me to date him, I would have. When I announced to my family that I was in the process of making Aliya- my grandmother said something astonishing "I thought Marc would have been the one to move before you did... maybe you will both end up there!" That thought crossed my mind recently when I got an e-mail from him saying he is coming to Israel on Taglit and extending his trip. I got so excited! He arrives tomorrow. My grandmother calls him my future husband. I equate it to Bridget Jones and Marc Darcey. He's very quiet, somewhat shy, very reserved. I....am none of those things.
So, just as I am ending my first year of school and my first year in Israel, the thought of my "future husband" re-enters my brain, just as it did when I was 23. Except, I'm older now, a bit wiser, a lot more cynical about relationships, and I live in Israel. He does not. Who knows if our paths will cross romantically - but when my friend asked me about my ideal guy... he is who I thought of. His kindness is astonishing. His ability to make me laugh ranks up there with previous boyfriends. He's the ideal guy. Kind, generous, sweet, always gives me candy, funny, insanely smart... you get the picture. He's also completely opposite from me. He's shy, quiet, somewhat introverted and a democrat. So... maybe he's not so ideal after-all. Either way, I have the next three months to clear my mind and figure out what my ideal mate really is.
Two weeks... just two weeks...almost the end.
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