Daniel went upstairs to take a shower over an hour ago. I think he may have passed out on the bed up there.

Thanks, Zen and Wind.

While I know there's antisemitism, I hardly feel it's real. When I traveled to the U.S., I did thought every now and then if to say where I am from when I was asked. But I did, and didn't really feel threatened by it. Including the church in Seattle where people were excited to tears to hear where I'm from, and wanted to shake my hand. Same goes for my "solo female traveling" experience. Other than moving my ring to indicate I'm married (and much later I discovered I did it wrong), I didn't change anything about myself, and I wasn't harassed the entire month I spent on my own, meeting strangers. I was having the time of my life. And trust me, not all of my calls were safe - and it's very easy for me to feel uncomfortable.

So all I'm saying is that I prefer to use my own experience and judgment before letting a bias to control my actions. I just wish I could be there tomorrow, but I don't think I can bring myself to question my friends about their activities on this eve: it's the most personal thing, so I won't take a chance of accidentally hurting their feelings/grief.

Anyhow, I recently wrote a post on my blog which started from a similar place. If you'd like to read it, it's here: [link]

Congratulations Daisy Jane's sister!

{{{Shir}}} I wish it was easier for you but I do feel lucky to be able to read your posts and see things from your perspective.

For breakfast I tried the thing where you make a hole in a slice of bread and fry an egg in it but the toast cooked faster than the egg. D says he's done the same thing with the same results. Has anybody pulled this off? What's the secret?

Shir I would say that while anti-semistism exists in the U.S. it is not maybe as big as you might here is Israel. I encounter stuff I'm sure is anti-semitism once every few years, and stuff that might be every couple of years or so. And OK we occasionally get pyschos who focus on Jews, but the U.S. is a violent nation and we occasionally get Pschos who focus on cops, or soldiers or aerobics classes, and I don't think Jews are more of a target. Heck I think you have a lot better chance of being killed by an anti-Semite in Israel than you do anywhere in the U.S. Maybe more of chance of encountering milder forms here, but not enough to worry about. In terms of extreme dangers (being killed or subject to violence) and less extreme dangers (employment, remarks, general atmosphere) you get a lot more shit for being a woman than for being a Jew. Now the U.S. may be an exception. I get the feeling that Britain has a much bigger anti-semitism problem than we do, but of course I'm not there. And I'm absolutely sure that there are plenty of nation on earth with a serious anti-Semitism problem. Even so I just can't see Israel as a thin wedge protecting the Jews of the world. OK there were the Ethiopian Jews. But most of the time it is the other way around. Jews worldwide give money, and put out political effort to help Israel, and don't really get much in return. And right now a lot of Jews outside the U.S. who support Palestinian rights also still support Israel and see this as a way of helping Israel. But as Israel goes on doing awful stuff, that can change.I mean a large minority of young Jews in the U.S. no longer think there is any special relationship between Jews worldwide and Israel. And at some point that can become a majority.

In the US it's not fashionable to hate on Jews out loud, so there's a lot of code words involved, but there are plenty of people who still secretly believe that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion is real. (And many more who would never admit to being bigoted conspiracy theorists, but act like it's just common sense to believe that Jews control the media and the banks. I mean, it's not antisemitic if it's true, right?)

OTOH, a friend of mine in Zurich on a business trip was called "Jew" as a derogatory term to her face, and was refused service at multiple stores on the basis of such. It took her three days before she found someone willing to sell her a subway ticket. (Or maybe it was a trolley. Public transit, at any rate.)

For breakfast I tried the thing where you make a hole in a slice of bread and fry an egg in it but the toast cooked faster than the egg. D says he's done the same thing with the same results. Has anybody pulled this off? What's the secret?

Cut most of the soft part of the bread, and slow-fry it.

I just can't see Israel as a thin wedge protecting the Jews of the world

I'd hate to see Israel as such, and most of all: I don't want to see Israel as such. I want to go anywhere on this world on my own, with my own identity, without bias.

As for the rest of your post... yeah. I try to ignore the current government, since I think hate would be such a shame to use on these guys. I feel that only 2 of the 120 MPs that were elected are representing me (my thoughts of representation, however, changed a lot during the past year, giving my academic work on the use of photography as proof). And just few days ago, I realized that I no longer identify as left or right: I identify as a feminist, politically speaking.

As for being called a "Jew": I confess I find this whole thing strange. For me, being called a "Jew" as as much as being called "human being" or "woman". I am, and don't understand what's the big deal about it.

While I know there's antisemitism, I hardly feel it's real.

The reason I have a slightly different view from you on Israel, Shir (although not all that different), is that I know how real anti-Semitism is in this country. My Girl is faced with it on a regular basis. Synagogues are burnt down here regularly - they have to post security on their doors (security - they're places of worship, for pity's sake). I've known people who've been beaten up in the streets. Just one country over, hundreds of Jews are leaving France because of the levels of violent anti-Semitism there. I was happy to change my name to my family's original Jewish one, but I know that given how Jewish-sounding my full name now is, there's every chance I'll meet mistaken anti-Semitism in the future. I sometimes worry for my future children. It is very, very real.

I'm not saying ANY of that justifies what's going on Palestine. But I do feel that there's some dismissing of anti-Semitism as 'can't possibly be real' stuff, and that's distressing. It very much is.

As for being called a "Jew": I confess I find this whole thing strange. For me, being called a "Jew" as as much as being called "human being" or "woman". I am, and don't understand what's the big deal about it.

I don't object to being called 'disabled' for the same reason, but if it's clearly a prelude to being kicked out of my wheelchair, I'll be able to hear the difference.

ETA: The Girl and I often talk about how anti-Semitism includes Muslim people (of Arabic descent and so on) these days. There are big threats to their safety here, too.

FTR: I have no doubt that anti-Semitism is real. I just have doubts how my country reports it over the news.

I think anti-semitism is real. In the U.S. I don't think it is as big as many places. I get the feeling it is much much worse in the UK. Again never been in the UK, so I don't insist on this and could be wrong. It just that when I talk to Brits I occasionally get shocked by things I know I would never hear in the U.S.

Oh and as to the term including Muslims. Not historically. It was originally invented to refer specifically to prejudice against Jews by a Rabbi, and then proudly picked up by people who hated Jews. The root word (which after all refers to a language group) is not the same as the meaning. There is some argument that maybe it should be extended to Muslims, and that argument goes back very far, but it was not the original meaning and still is not the usual meaning.