There is so much to tell since September of 2020 when I made my last blog post. Pandemic wise, Mark and I have still never tested positive for Covid. (Update: Mark has had Covid but I have not yet.) We didn't get the Delta variant, we didn't get the Omicron variant (or haven't gotten it yet).
In February 2021, I returned in person to school in a hybrid model (worst of both worlds, will post about that separately). Half of the students at home, half at school to maintain social distancing. No vaccines yet. Double masking, plastic shields separating us. It was extremely challenging.
Then the vaccines came and things began to open up in the summer of 2021. We were able to take a short driving vacation to Portland, Ashland, and Crater Lake. We were able to host a dinner with congregants at our house. Then more Covid.
The 2021-2022 school year started with fully in person classes, with masks, without social distance, but with virtually all of the adults vaccinated and then our students even were able to get vaccinated. Now, in February of 2022, mask mandates are being removed and prevention of infection seems to have gone away. The unvaccinated are the ones who are dying of Covid and the immunocompromised are going to be in danger when we let the virus run through us.
But my reason for this post was not to talk about the pandemic. I wanted to share some thoughts about being a pro-Israel, pro-Palestinian, Zionist warrior for racial justice. I'm on the regional board for Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America AND I'm a member of the Youth and Families Committee of East Bay SURJ (Standing Up For Racial Justice). (Update: I was a member but resigned last month after our East Bay Chapter passed a resolution on Palestine, details to come in another post.) I believe in and fight for human rights AND I believe in the fact and fight for the idea that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. There is so much to discuss here. I will be sharing my story in future posts. For today, I want to tell you the story about my Lyft driver to the SF airport.
Yaser picked me at my doorstep at 6 am on Saturday morning. He was chatty right away. We made the chit-chat small talk about our lives, our families. He has 5 kids; three are grown ups in their 20s working and getting educated, and two are younger, one in high school and one in 4th grade. He works for the city of Oakland in the kitchen at a Head Start program during the week and drives for Lyft on the weekends. He lives in El Cerrito with his wife. I dove in by asking him what other languages he speaks. He told me Arabic. I asked where he was from and he said Palestine. When I asked for more details he told me the name of his village near Hebron. I'm sorry I didn't catch the specific village name. We began talking about his family there and how he enjoys vacationing in Israel. We did not talk about the settlers who make life difficult for the Palestinian residents of Hebron. By the end of our ride together, he was inviting me to his village near Hebron and offering to come visit me in Israel. He also stated his fervent desire for a one state solution for all the people of the region. I didn't respond to that except to share my hope for true and lasting peace. I don't know if he knows that a one state solution means that Israel is no longer a Jewish state. My dream is two states side by side where anyone who wants to can live in either state. Right now, Jews are not welcome to live in Gaza, nor many areas of the Palestinian Authority. Until we can live together without hatred and violence, there can be no peace. I was so grateful to make a new friend on this car ride. I look forward to many more conversations with Israelis and Palestinians.
Update from today March 6, 2023
We leave tomorrow for the start of our 5 month sabbatical. We start with three weeks in Europe followed by 4 months in Jerusalem, Israel. I look forward to sharing photos, video clips, and stories with you along the way. Now, back to work preparing the house for our renters!
