Well, we’re at war. As has been the case over the last few years, this blog hasn’t been my primary place to post. Times are tough in Israel with at least twenty-nine Israeli soldiers having lost their lives over the last few days in Operation Protective Edge.
While to most of my loved ones abroad, I am “on the front lines here”, I feel a world away from what’s happening in the Western Negev and in Gaza. Life in Tel Aviv continues fairly normally (thank G-d for the Iron Dome and for the IDF for allowing us to live our lives). I am lucky that I can continue to go to cafes, see friends, walk around town as if nothing had changed but feel uncomfortable to be so emotionally disconnected from what is going on just an hour or so away.
For the better part of two weeks, I have done my best to raise people’s spirits through non-stop updates on Facebook and Twitter. Three nights ago, I performed before a standing-room only crowd at Jerusalem’s Comedy Basement for people who REALLY needed a reason to smile.
While it may pale in comparison to the brave service our soldiers are providing in and around Gaza, the best service I can provide is keeping my fellow Jews in Israel abroad sane and laughing.
Just to catch up on anyone who isn’t checking FB, check out this USA Today story about life in Tel Aviv, my contribution to Time Magazine’s video about day-to-day life here, and Rabbi Jason Miller’s feature of what I’ve been doing to distract people from this upsetting and frustrating situation.
Pray for quiet.
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