Reading. Listening. Watching.

December 8

Hi All,

Last night I attended my first Menorah lighting and it was beautiful. I learned new things, I listened to pretty music, I saw old friends and I even made a new friend who may have convinced me to watch Suits after I get through my Grey’s era.

But beyond all this, I felt like what I was doing was brave and I hate that I feel that way.

When I posted that I was going to the Menorah lighting this year to stand beside my Jewish friends as we all watch a horrifying rise in anti-semitism in this country, I noticed a trend. The vast majority of people who interacted with my posts were Jewish. Where were all my non-Jewish friends? How have we gotten to place where we are scared, never mind to go to Menorah lighting, but even like a post about one?

When I post, I hold my breath hoping that people are kind. That no one assumes my support of my Jewish friends means I am thrilled that babies are dying in Gaza. Because of course I am not. No Jewish people are either but they are accused of that so often now on social media.

Everyday, I practice holding two truths at the same time. And everyday, I try to learn more.

Since October 7th, one of the sources I have gone to repeatedly is the Ezra Klein podcast. Yes- Klein is Jewish but, in my opinion, he is providing very nuanced coverage of the war in the Middle East. Earlier this week, Klein interviewed Tareq Baconi, the author of “Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance.” I learned a lot about how Hamas came to be. I learned about failed peace efforts and why the Palestinians support a terrorist organization and what Baconi thinks the Israeli government could be doing that they are not. Everything I learn, makes this situation more complicated, more grey. more nuanced not less.

That said, I did not hear a thing that made me believe we should hate our Jewish neighbors. Or that calling for a Jewish genocide should be protected speech. Or that there is a way to defeat Hamas, a terrorist organization, that will not involve the death of innocent civilians. In much the same way that many innocent civilians died when the Allies did all that was necessary to defeat Hitler. Defeating evil always has and always will result in the death of civilians. Which is awful.

Between now and the day we figure out how to eradicate war, I hope we can find a way to openly love our Jewish friends. I hope we can trust people to know that loving our Jewish friends does not mean we hate our Palestinian friends. We must find a way to do that….

So hard pivot to what I am reading, listening to and watching this week. Please share what you are loving- I am really all over the place in what I am consuming these days and always love seeing what you all are loving.

xo,

Stacey

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Reading:

• Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum (print- and also decidedly a summer read but for some reason this is what I was craving!)

• Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher (audio)

Listening:

• The Ezra Klein Show (This is How Hamas is Seeing This)

• From the Front Porch (Literary Therapy)

• Pantsuit Politics (How Reading Humbled Us in 2023)

Watching:

• Grey’s Anatomy :)

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• BYOB(ook); December 18th, 12-1pm EST, Zoom

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