Well, I got through OK. I woke up around noon on Friday and after coffee and nuts and so on, I had an hour to prepare things to list later, an hour to pack packages to take to the post office downtown, and an hour to make myself clean and ready and oil my bike chain so even my bike will will enjoy the Shabbos.
It all went fine except when I was oiling the bike chain, although the sprocket is specifically designed to not have the chain fall off, it fell off. I cussed a bit and flipped the bike which is heavy with its saddlebags full of stuff, cleaned and oiled the chain after putting it back on the sprocket, and that was done.
I left here at the regulation time and toodled over to the post office and dropped the packages off, then to the bank where my accounting and theirs probably add up, I won't know until the $3300-odd check is cashed by the IRS.
Then over to Whole Foods for some baked chicken and broccoli and a bit of long-grain rice to soak up the chicken oil - yum! Before Whole Foods I'd ridden up to Cahill Park to see if they have exercise equipment and they do. It's really nice in fact and handy to know because I go to Whole Foods so often, that I can go over to Cahill Park and do some exercises first and then eat etc.
Pretty soon it was time to go over to the temple. There was a big crowd, for two reasons: The shabbat before Passover is typically a big one "ha Godolah" and also it was a 25-year celebration of the rabbi being there. So it was a real hum-dinger.
I ended up sitting next to the sound guy, who was using a tablet to control the audio for, not really a band but a couple of guitars (lead and rhythm) and a couple of vocals, a bass, and a lady playing the flute who's really good. I still need glasses, but at least I try to la-la-la along with the songs to get to know the tunes and eventually the words, by sheer osmosis.
When the service was over, I asked the sound guy if he still wanted the ferrites, and he did so I went out to the bike and got them, and handed over the bag. He was pleasantly surprised, and I said, "I said I would bring them".
Then it was time for bread and wine and the blessings thereof, which I'll have to make myself little cards for. And when that was done, champagne. The food was really good, and passing up on the chicken skewers, I had a lot of Brie and little savory swirly things and fish and cheese roll-up things, and at the end, black coffee as my usual. I ended up sitting with some people who run the music program, so I was able to get some good schmoozing in.
I have to smile - it's all so great. I thought I might have this with MENSA meetings but except for a smart one or two they made me want to shout "NERDS!". And MENSA people are as hyper-individualistic as any other Americans. And Americans are basically Iks who drive cars.
It's nice to be around so many people who are smart *and* not there to show how smart they are, and who are achievers but do tons of social-service things and are generous. And who care about their kids instead of complaining about them.
At the gift shop this week's buy was the book "The Six Days Of Destruction" by Wiesel and Friedlander. It's a quick read, and because it turned out to be published by the Paulist Press and have a bunch of stuff about Christians and Jews getting along, I emailed my youngest sister to ask if she'd like me to send it to her. Otherwise it will go into my next batch of books to trade in at the used book store, as I don't want any Christian stuff around here.
By the time I rode home it was 9:30 or so, almost 10 when I left Whole Foods, and a bit past 10 when I got home. I was glad to have thought to wear my safety vest because Friday night = impaired drivers around here and sure enough I had to go around a gathering of cop cars where 10th butts into Old Bayshore.
I got back and was too full of brie to feel hungry, so I had wine and read the "Six Days" book and "The Holocaust Industry" by Finkelstein. His basic point seems to be that media footprint of the Holocaust was smaller when Israel was actually in more danger, than after 1967 war, which Israel won and afterward was in less danger.
Well I have an answer to Mr. Finkelstein. It may not be a satisfying one, but it is one based on reality. When Russia started out to invade Ukraine, lots of people including myself thought Ukraine would fold in no time, that "Who cares if Russia invades part of Russia?" That very few Ukrainians were actually against Russia moving in, and so on.
Then Ukraine fought back. Grandmothers were making Molotov cocktails and telling the Russians to make sure there are sunflower seeds in their pockets so when they die something will grow. Zelensky wasn't assassinated, and Ukraine has been fighting valiantly ever since. That's when support for Ukraine, at least among sane people, blossomed. After Ukrainians showed they could and would fight.
It may be that Nazis only respect force, but that is my answer to Mr. Finkelstein. That the rest of us only do, too. The Holocaust was not publicized far more after Israel fought back because of crass profiteering and hucksterism, but because in the minds of many, Israel had been written off. When Israel proved to be a formidable force, now we were interested in them and sympathetic to their cause.
This is basic schoolyard psychology. If a kid is bullied and just takes it, no one's going to take up for them. But if they fight, even if they lose, they gain respect, and friends.
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