Since last we met . . . .

a) a lot has happened in Gaza. A lot. So much that I wonder who, if anyone, was able to keep track of it. And it makes me wonder: Why wasn’t the idea of having two separate Palestinian states (one in Gaza, one in the West Bank) floated more seriously oh, 15 years ago? The idea of having one state on two non-contiguous plots of land never seemed very logical to me. Forget about the question of how different the cultures are between West Bank Palestinians and Gaza Palestinians, Fatah vs. Hamas, whether the West Bank is more “moderate,” or whatever . . . the West Bank and Gaza are not contiguous. How could Israel ever allow passage between the two in a way that grows trade for this new Palestinian entity without endangering Israel’s security? Who ever thought that would work?

b) There was a gay-pride parade in Jerusalem, and an anti-gay-pride parade protest, which affected me only to the extent that I wasn’t able to take a bus to the Creative Zionism institute on Thursday night and had to take a taxi instead. This annual (or has it become bi-annual?) event and counter-event brouhaha – will the rabbis discourage violence or encourage it? Will it be a parade or a rally? Blah blah blah – is getting really old.

c) I was accepted as a Fellow to the Creative Zionism Institute. I think I’m the third-oldest Fellow; this program is really geared more for people with the energy to spend their days working and almost every. single. evening talking about their “projects.” However, it is indeed a great place for me to network and tell a lot of very energetic and enthusiastic Jews about my goal to open a Global Relationship Center in Jerusalem.

d) Speaking of which, the LYO and Money Freedom courses were cancelled last week. They are extremely expensive to run, and we were coming nowhere close to breaking even. However! There will be a meeting on July 25 in Jerusalem, for anyone who wants to be involved in making future courses happen, to talk about how we can raise money and make this program fiscally viable. In a way I’m pleased, since this is forcing we in IsraelIsrael” dream to work! But I won’t say that I wasn’t depressed when we decided to cancel. It was a deep disappointment and took a lot of work for me to be able to dust myself off again and keep going. to work as a team toward a goal, and to do it ourselves, without outside help. Putting the whole “working toward a more cooperative, productive, economically self-sufficient

e) The UN Human Rights Council overwhelmingly voted to make Israel a permanent agenda item. Among the countries who are on the Council and who voted to focus so much energy on Israel’s human rights abuses, while not making, say, Sudan a permanent agenda item, were China, Angola, and Saudi Arabia. I have nothing to say. Hillel Neuer has already said it all for me.

f) I finished a major journalism assignment which was hanging over me for a very long time. Celebrated my new freedom by watching four episodes straight of CSI. George Eades really does not look good in a moustache.

g) Guess what I had done today with a friend? I love it!