Israel ...256 Houstonians recently returned from and 8-day trip to Israel under the auspices of the Houston Jewish Federation. The Houston Chronicle published a first-person account written by one of the participants. It was definitely sweet and touching and all that and really what else do you expect from someone who has never been to Israel before … So it lacked nuance and left me with a saccharine after taste, but what can you do? As you all know, Jewlicious will soon be off to Israel and we too will have the difficult task of presenting Israel to a busload of folks who’ve never been. It’s a hard thing to do, let me tell you, even with the awesome guidance of IsraelExperts and birthright israel. I mean I definitely want to pass on my love of Israel to all our participants, but I don’t want to come off sounding like I work for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I’d like to think my devotion to Israel is based on a nuanced appreciation for a remarkable country, warts and all.

I’d like to think that …

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About the author

ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem with his wife, newborn daughter and toddler son. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.

8 Comments

  • ck, have you been sleeping enough recently? I know you’re trying to sound exuberant and all (for good reason, of course0, but you’re judt sounding over-tired.

    Just thought you’d like to know.

  • Skylar? Is that a commentary on my writing? Shabbat was awesome and I slept like a baby too! Just woke up from a lazy post beakfast nap. So it must be that my writing sucks. But I already knew that!

  • I thought it was because of the overwhelming sexual tension between Muffti, TM and I ….

  • Personally, I’m here for the infighting and awkward silences.

    Oh yeah, and the more-than-occasional flashes of brilliance. And the uniquely hip, irreverent and deep, abiding love for all things Jewlicious and Israelicious. Those birthright kids are damn lucky.

    (And the sexual tension keeps it interesting.)

  • Plus, I’m not sure why I feel compelled to comment here right now, but one of the most amazing things I always notice about Israel is the Hebrew everywhere. Somehow, I see a sign for Strauss ice cream in Hebrew and I just think it’s a miracle.

  • Modern Hebrew is a miracle in the same way that successful people have luck. You get really lucky when you work pretty damn hard.