Wednesday November 8

So tomorrow's planned SJP walkout and rally will take place as planned. But don't worry, campus safety is aware of our concerns and will be present ;)

Here's what happened at the SJP rally today at Concordia University: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzZcAIwN0CD/?igshid=MWtjMDVpOG9jeHU3aw%3D%3D

In case you can't see the instagram video, here's the caption: "Today in Concordia University in Canada, a Jewish student was verbally attacked and called the neo-Nazi racist term for Jews “K*ke” by Free Palestine protesters." 

I continue to be grateful that neither my children nor I are on campus this year. I don't know how I would be able to feel safe walking around campus, let alone teach, knowing that some of the students in my class viewed me this way. Although the support of many of my colleagues reading this blog has been wonderfully encouraging, I remain confounded by the question of how I will ever go back and feel like it's business as usual.

I feel like I have a lot of things to write but unlike the days in Haifa when the words poured out from me, sentences moving like waves out of my mind and pounding through my fingers, I'm agitated, distracted here by new routines, people, and obligations. I'm reading and thinking a lot, I'm angry most of the time (when I'm not sad), but the words aren't flowing. I am tired, and tired of being angry, tired of writing what feels like the same rants every day. There is always more news but it feels like it's always the same news.

This article was a bit different, as was this one, so I thought I'd share them with you. 

I may write more tomorrow when we see what happens with the SJP rally (and if you're on campus and want to send me your impressions, I'd be glad to include those observations anonymously in my post). If the op-ed that I managed to get down to exactly 850 words (though I feel like I cut out a lot of content and context, so hopefully it still says something worthwhile) ends up being accepted by a news outlet, I'll also share that. But otherwise posts may be short and scarce for a few days. Friday I am headed to visit my son, and mid-next-week I will be at a conference until the 19th. So there may be a few writing pauses over the next couple of weeks, but I have lots of ideas for further posts once the travel is over, so assuming that I won't be heading back to Israel before the end of this month, I should have time and hopefully renewed energy to write when I'm back. Hopefully some of you are still interested in continuing to read by then as well :)