SHANA TOVAH!
FOR MY JEWISH FRIENDS: WISHES FOR A PEACEFUL, BETTER YEAR. ... FOR MY NON-JEWISH FRIENDS: A QUICK EXPLAINER.
Dear friends,
As the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, begins this evening, I want to take a moment to wish all of my Jewish friends Shana Tovah U’Metukah — a good and sweet year filled with health, joy, and peace.
For my non-Jewish friends, Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the High Holidays, a time of reflection, renewal, and hope in the Jewish tradition. If you’d like to learn more about these holidays and their meaning, here’s a helpful overview: What Are the High Holidays? (My Jewish Learning).
To everyone, may this season be one of new beginnings and meaningful connections.
Warmly,
Pat
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While I would like to avoid politics at this moment, I can’t completely. My country, Canada, seems determined to pursue a destructive path of counter-diplomacy that rewards terrorism and punishes peace.
I wrote about this last month. Have a gander if you want to …
FANTASY FOREIGN POLICY
Two quite distinct things happened in the news this week. A bunch of countries — including mine, Canada — expressed their intention to recognize the “State of Palestine” as early as at this fall’s United Nations General Assembly.
If the link above does not work, click here.
Happy new year to all Jewish friends.
I am not Jewish. I do support Israel.
My country, the UK has shamefully recognised a state of Palestine.
Please know that this is an extremely unpopular move by Prime Minister Starmer. 90% of Brits do NOT support it, according to a poll.
I do think there is a way to undermine the ideas that underpin Hamas. It has to be worth a try. See my article for details:
https://hellish2050.substack.com/p/uk-recognising-a-palestinian-state
Thank you, Pat, for your voice, activism and support. The tenor and substance of rare but profoundly necessary voices like should be heard as they are uncompromised by the toxicity we are seeing and experiencing in the self-righteous attack-mode silos on the far left and right (and, alas, as we are seeing today in our own “centrist” government). That doesn’t mean you don’t stand up to it all and with verbal and fact-based force and with the occasional frustration we all share. It;s a real struggle when the people I most count on to be consistent with intellectual and moral integrity have opted to indulge their antisemitic tendencies and double standards and the ones who typically are lacking n integral humanitarian approach (on the Right) single out our cause as one they care about (it breeds suspicion and an uncomfortable alliance that force us to parse out our appreciation based on specific issues and still be able to challenge and condemn the ugliest and most dehumanizing aspects of the Right). Anyway, thank you again for creating a safe space for me (and I am sure so many others) and for filling the bleak void that so many friends-turned-bullies created in their hypocrisy and hatred of my people and our story. May you be blessed with good health, hope, joy whenever and wherever possible as we traverse into 5786. I hope it will usher in sanity, safety, honesty, an enduring peace and compassion for my mishpacha as well as for all who value life and the longevity of our planet and everyone on it.