I Apologize In Advance

Before we get started today I want to disclaim: I have my opinions and they are just opinions, nothing more. You have every right to disagree; disagreement makes the world go round or something. But this is the world as I see it.

Okay! Let's talk about anti-Zionism as a thing that baffles me greatly. I have a friend at school whose political opinions I find rather confusing. He's Jewish, he was raised Jewish, he went to Jewish school like all the other good little Jews here. And yet on Facebook his political views are listed as anti-Zionist. He wants to live in Israel and not make aliyah (becoming a citizen of Israel). He is constantly posting articles that detail all the wrongs that the Israelis have perpetrated against the Palestinians.

Now here's the thing: I understand the desire of the Palestinian people to have a homeland because basically the Jews wanted the same thing not so long ago. They deserve to have a country to make their own; possibly they should have part of the land that we now call Israel - but that's not the point. I think in general everyone rational can see that the situation in the Middle East with the Palestinians and the Israelis can't go on.

What I can't understand is believing that the Jews don't deserve a homeland, and that Israel should not belong to them. I think my friend considers himself a relatively well-informed guy, but if that's the case, how can anyone believe that the situation during the Diaspora, even before the true awfulness of the Holocaust, was in any way okay. Because let me tell you guys, thanks to Professor Mendelsson and my history of Israel class, I can now tell you authoritatively that it was not okay! Anti-Semitism was a long-standing, even supported tradition in many countries, especially Russia and the rest of Eastern Europe (little though it may have been at the time, seeing as Russia pretty much was Eastern Europe). The situation of the Jews in any country, where rationalizing hatred of them by claiming that they were another species entirely and therefore completely incompatible with "regular" people, was not good, friends. It was not good!

So what I'm saying is this: how can a Jew who is not an Orthodox Jew (and who therefore believes that Jews coming to Israel is like trying to force the coming of the Messiah, which is wrong) not believe in Zionism? I just don't get it! His people, my people, our people needed a home, a refuge from the hatred that I am now starting to see was unfortunately pervasive.

And okay, if that all doesn't convince you, well then there's the Holocaust! I think that's pretty good proof that the world was, at least at the time, very much not inclined to be nice to the Jews.

In any case, I'm sorry to get all political on you guys, but it's just been bugging me! So I got it out. Now let's talk about other things, like for example the sick amount of Gilmore Girls I've been watching. Really! It's terrible! But I can't help it, Gilmore Girls is my comfort tv and I love it. What's your comfort tv? Or comfort something else?