Thoughts on being Jewish

Fiddler on the Roof is one of my all time favorite musicals. I can watch it time and time again, never tiring of the songs, and, in fact, belting them out like a Karaoke Queen. But, I can't sing along with the following, for obvious reasons. Just goes to show that Fiddler, the story of a turn of the century Eastern European village of Jews - a shtettle -has universal appeal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGoRo-nPLOM&feature=player_embedded# Sign in to see full entry.

There. Now that I've got that off my chest, do I feel any better? Does it sound ridiculous? How else can a scathing conspiracy theory anti-semite stay on this site for so long without any repercussions? He must be the man behind the curtain, pulling the levers, running the show, right? OK -I don't REALLY believe that, but I wanted to draw a parallel to what he's espousing. It's Yom Kippur and I'm thirsty and tired and feeling humbled, which is not a great combination when it comes to suffering... Sign in to see full entry.

J udah Halevi, the great eleventh-century poet, said that prayer is to the soul what food is to the body. Without prayer, something within us atrophies and dies. It is possible to have a life without prayer, just as it is possible to have a life without music, or love, or laughter, but it is a diminished thing, missing whole dimensions of experience. We need space within the soul to express our joy in being, our wonder at the universe, our hopes, our fears, our failures, our aspirations—bringing... Sign in to see full entry.

My last post seems to have created a bit of discussion, which is good. And, Xeno, I'm happy that you read me sometimes. Your comment illuminates the misconceptions that most people have about the mess in the Middle East and who's responsible. The Wall and the Settlements. The Wall and the Settlements. It's all Israel's fault due to the wall and the settlements. The fact is that there are two nations in conflict. One, whose constitution seeks peace with their neighbors. The other which states in... Sign in to see full entry.

This was not written by me, but my sentiments exactly..... How Israel became South Africa!!! Margaret Wente, Globe and Mail, August 12, 2009... It's a bad old world out there. Tens of thousands are being raped in war-torn eastern Congo. In Sudan, a woman faces 40 lashes for daring to wear pants. The Iranians have brutally suppressed a peaceful uprising and shot protesters in the streets. The tyrants who run Burma have sentenced the brave Aung San Suu Kyi to more house arrest. So which evil... Sign in to see full entry.