Back to DC in November?
Stand Together on November 10 and a busy October with Jewish holidays
I still owe two book reviews—soon to be a third before or during Sukkos—but if all goes well, it’ll be back to Washington, DC this November to join with the Jewish community. Right now, it’s a matter of budget. Unlike last year’s barely-over-a-week notice, there’s more than enough lead time to plan. I personally prefer flying to taking a 10-12 hour bus ride but I’ll do whichever is possible. I’ve not yet heard about bus rides at this point, for what it’s worth.
Last year was an important gathering of nearly 300,000 Jews (and allies, but mostly Jews). I don’t think any of us expected that we’d still be in a similar position over a year later. I personally thought that hostages would have been home by now and the war would have been over. Instead, Hamas has hardened their line. Hezbollah never stopped firing rockets so Israel finally decided enough was enough. Meanwhile, Iran has twice fired missiles and drones at Israel—we’re just waiting to see how Israel responds.
In the meantime, the holidays have kept me busy and distracted. Movies and comedy specials, too, to an extent. I spent my post-Yom Kippur birthday watching Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. You can thank my reading Under Jerusalem for that. The non-fiction thriller is every bit the equivalent of an Indiana Jones movie. It definitely reads at a quick pace. I have an interview to transcribe and a few reviews still to write but I might just make myself finish the book tonight while baseball is playing on TV. I had to pull an audible in my reading schedule since A Promised Land did not arrive until this past weekend.
I went on a Ken Burns kick last month, which proved to be really helpful in having content ready to go in the week between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. A few home releases are helpful both this week in having articles ready to go. When the holidays and Shabbos combine for a three-day Yom Tov, it basically means having to plan ahead. It’s impossible to get into a rhythm and get enough work done. Next year will be even worse—Monday night through Wednesday evening. There will be no work getting done.
If you want a comedy special that relives the pandemic, Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Special is now streaming on Netflix. If you want an election season documentary that has nothing to do with Trump or January 6, Jimmy Tingle: The Radical Middle - Why Would a Comedian Run for President? is streaming on YouTube through Election Day.