Thank you so much for sharing this! I am a Soviet (Ukrainian) Jew currently teaching a course on Putin’s Russia at a Catholic university and thinking “I can’t believe this shit is happening here!” and how many of my students will vote for a dictator? I also appreciate your ability to articulate a leftist, progressive vision of Zionism. I really hope Israel renews its commitment to progressive ideals and doesn't fall into right-wing religious extremism after everything we’ve been through. And lastly, it is so painful to know that some Jews think that “trump is good for Israel” as he hosts rabid Jew-haters and spews vile anti-Semitic rhetoric
I'm sitting in a Lavazza cafe in downtown West Palm Beach . . . the story about your husband receiving the ballot in the mail made tears come to my eyes. It's odd, but maybe not so much, that as of October. 7 I became much more patriotic regarding THIS country, more supportive of the military, more understanding of the blessings of our world dominance.
My fear is that we have not maintained a sense of the seriousness re the world situation; we are not as vigilant as we once were following WW2; we think that everyone has a western attitude -- a desire for a better life for themselves and their children. No, some people only care about power, whether it's a pathetic dictator wannabe or a group of barbarian caliphate wannabes.
Here's my wildest fear -- although it may not be so wild: an axis of dictators carving up the globe between the US (Cuba), Russia (Hungary), China (North Korea), Venezuela, and Iran (Turkey).
I don’t agree with all of your politics but I am 100% a fan because of your unabashed Jewishness, Zionism, and spirit. I’m not here to disagree but show support.
I love all of this and especially believing that we can defeat MAGA in this country, and preserve the rights of women, LGBTQ+ and so much more. I'm impressed on the daily with your publications! Thank you to all who are putting so much energy into this fight. I hope we can all realize the supreme gift our forefathers gave us...to have the ability to vote in free and fair elections. May we not waste it!
Just subscribed. I have felt so alone (politically) over the past year. I am as liberal as they come, but I have felt completely abandoned by those who I thought/hoped were my allies. I guess that "abandoned" isn't even the right word. "Ostracized" and "viewed as the enemy" would be better descriptions because, you know, "Zionism". It's become the socially acceptable way for people to say that they hate us Jews. Sadly, even many of our own have gone down this rabbit hole.
I am so thankful to find this Substack and to read that maybe, just maybe, I'm not as alone as I believed.
I, too, was born in Ukraine, though I lived most of my life in Israel. Now both Israel and Ukraine are engulfed by wars. However, as much as I feel outraged by Putin's invasion of a sovereign country in order to reestablish his tinpot empire, I do not feel as emotionally invested in that war as I am in what's going on in Israel where my family and friends are under bombardment daily. To be even more blunt, when rockets rain on the city of my birth, Kyiv, I feel angry. When rockets rain on the city where I used to live, Tel-Aviv, I feel wounded. As for the US where I am a citizen now, I love this country and what it represents: the last imperfect utopia left standing (all perfect utopias inevitably mutate into hellholes, and I do mean "inevitably"). I try to be optimistic. The problem, however, is that optimism in historical terms may not be the same as optimism measured in our own lifespans.
I love that you stay true to your convictions and avoid audience capture. Losing subscribers due to your feelings regarding the existential crisis of this Election is simply inevitable when conveying thoughts with integrity and transparency.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I am a Soviet (Ukrainian) Jew currently teaching a course on Putin’s Russia at a Catholic university and thinking “I can’t believe this shit is happening here!” and how many of my students will vote for a dictator? I also appreciate your ability to articulate a leftist, progressive vision of Zionism. I really hope Israel renews its commitment to progressive ideals and doesn't fall into right-wing religious extremism after everything we’ve been through. And lastly, it is so painful to know that some Jews think that “trump is good for Israel” as he hosts rabid Jew-haters and spews vile anti-Semitic rhetoric
I'm sitting in a Lavazza cafe in downtown West Palm Beach . . . the story about your husband receiving the ballot in the mail made tears come to my eyes. It's odd, but maybe not so much, that as of October. 7 I became much more patriotic regarding THIS country, more supportive of the military, more understanding of the blessings of our world dominance.
My fear is that we have not maintained a sense of the seriousness re the world situation; we are not as vigilant as we once were following WW2; we think that everyone has a western attitude -- a desire for a better life for themselves and their children. No, some people only care about power, whether it's a pathetic dictator wannabe or a group of barbarian caliphate wannabes.
Here's my wildest fear -- although it may not be so wild: an axis of dictators carving up the globe between the US (Cuba), Russia (Hungary), China (North Korea), Venezuela, and Iran (Turkey).
It's not so wild but all we can do is stay on the right side and fight as hard as we can.
There are no truer words.
Saw your name on the good list of writers!
In the words of Billy Bragg: "If you’ve got a blacklist, I want to be on it."
When I wrote ‘good list’ it felt to me like you are enscribed this New Year in the book of life. Because that’s what the good list is. Life.
Thank you, Elissa. ❤️🇮🇱🇺🇸☮️🎶
I don’t agree with all of your politics but I am 100% a fan because of your unabashed Jewishness, Zionism, and spirit. I’m not here to disagree but show support.
I love all of this and especially believing that we can defeat MAGA in this country, and preserve the rights of women, LGBTQ+ and so much more. I'm impressed on the daily with your publications! Thank you to all who are putting so much energy into this fight. I hope we can all realize the supreme gift our forefathers gave us...to have the ability to vote in free and fair elections. May we not waste it!
Just subscribed. I have felt so alone (politically) over the past year. I am as liberal as they come, but I have felt completely abandoned by those who I thought/hoped were my allies. I guess that "abandoned" isn't even the right word. "Ostracized" and "viewed as the enemy" would be better descriptions because, you know, "Zionism". It's become the socially acceptable way for people to say that they hate us Jews. Sadly, even many of our own have gone down this rabbit hole.
I am so thankful to find this Substack and to read that maybe, just maybe, I'm not as alone as I believed.
You're not alone at all. I'm so glad you're here. I love you.
You are so not alone..there's more of us than you think, and I'm so thankful to have found this community, as it's been very lonely out there!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is exactly what I needed to read this morning. Every. Last. Word. 💙
I, too, was born in Ukraine, though I lived most of my life in Israel. Now both Israel and Ukraine are engulfed by wars. However, as much as I feel outraged by Putin's invasion of a sovereign country in order to reestablish his tinpot empire, I do not feel as emotionally invested in that war as I am in what's going on in Israel where my family and friends are under bombardment daily. To be even more blunt, when rockets rain on the city of my birth, Kyiv, I feel angry. When rockets rain on the city where I used to live, Tel-Aviv, I feel wounded. As for the US where I am a citizen now, I love this country and what it represents: the last imperfect utopia left standing (all perfect utopias inevitably mutate into hellholes, and I do mean "inevitably"). I try to be optimistic. The problem, however, is that optimism in historical terms may not be the same as optimism measured in our own lifespans.
I love that you stay true to your convictions and avoid audience capture. Losing subscribers due to your feelings regarding the existential crisis of this Election is simply inevitable when conveying thoughts with integrity and transparency.