A Slow Week at Home and Thoughts of War

This week, we are recovering from our long trip to various places in Virginia, Washington D.C, Maryland, and New Jersey, which I covered in several blog posts while traveling. I finished my endless read of Palo Alto and wrote a review of how much I didn’t like it. A few other things I did:

I read the EXCELLENT novel Yelllowface by R.F.Kuang.
How did she make such an unlovely narrator so interesting?

We started watching the seven-episode new season of Lupin.

We continue watching the Great British Baking Show as episodes are released.
Chocolate week was especially delicious looking.

I have been cooking very simple meals, such as this tuna salad made mainly from pantry items,
and an apple-dried cherry salad dressed with lemon juice.

And then there’s the war

Obviously, on my mind all week, and in my repeated checking of the news, is awareness of the war in Israel and its meaning for Jews throughout the world. I am thinking of the barbaric murders of unarmed families on October 7, the hostages held by Hamas, and the continuing situation in Israel and Gaza. At the moment, I feel as if we are holding our breath and waiting for the actual war to begin. 

Since the Hamas atrocities of October 7, the reaction of many people in our country, especially leftists, has been depressing and revealing: verbal attacks on Israel, enthusiasm for the killings of Israeli civilians and even of babies, and wishing an evil fate to all Jews. From the New York Times:

"Progressive Jews who have spent years supporting racial equity, gay and transgender rights, abortion rights and other causes on the American left — including opposing Israeli policies in Gaza and the West Bank — are suddenly feeling abandoned by those who they long thought of as allies. This wartime shift represents a fundamental break within a liberal coalition that has long powered the Democratic Party." (source)

The support for Israel of President Biden is gratifying — I have always been enthusiastic about our President and his leadership. I quote his speech:

"The terrorist group Hamas unleashed pure unadulterated evil in the world, but sadly, the Jewish people know, perhaps better than anyone, that there is no limit to the depravity of people when they want to inflict pain on others."

Leftist enthusiasm for antisemitic violence comes as a shock, as does international violence like the firebombing of a synagogue in Berlin (source), bomb threats to French museums and monuments (source), and a reported 1200% increase in online threats to Jews worldwide (source).

My fears are shared. For example, an opinion piece for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz by writer Anshel Pfeffer stated:

"The past two weeks have brought home the realization, for anyone who still hadn’t got it, that there is no safe place for Jews. This is a chilling but absolutely crucial matter for us to understand. From the devastated communities living in southern Israel to Sydney, Australia – where hundreds of Hamas supporters chanted 'Gas the Jews!' – that is our reality.

"It is not only the Israeli government and military that has so woefully failed in safeguarding the lives of Israeli citizens. We are seeing right now multiple governments, local authorities, religious and academic institutions around the world failing to keep their Jewish citizens safe." (source)

 

Tel Aviv, Israel. (From the Guardian.)