Beyond The Conflict
Israel’s top-notch English bloggers have come together for a brand-spanking-new project produced by Israel21C, edited by our very own Harry, and designed & hosted by your’s truly. Israelity seeks to show life in Israel beyond the realm of political conflict:
We don’t deny that Israel’s ongoing conflict with the Palestinians and the Arab world exists and is important. But you won’t find political commentary, analysis, bickering, partisan politics or punditry here. Rather anecdotes, stories and ruminations of normal Israelis living normal lives. The bloggers posting on Israelity run the gamut from city dwellers to country bumpkins, from suburban working mothers to urban club hoppers, all writing about their ordinary lives — in extraordinary Israel.
The site features Dave Bogner of Treppenwitz, Lisa Goldman of On The Face, Imshin of Not A Fish, and Alison Kaplan Sommer of An Unsealed Room, among others. Check it out here and let us know what you think!
“normal Israelis living normal lives” – sounds terribly boring. There is something extremely ackward about the need to talk about normal life in a certain place, focus on normality, call a certain place “normal”, claim for normality. Normal people live normal lives, BUT they dont go about talking about it. If the idea is to show outsiders that Israel is a normal place, then may I ask why is there this need? What is that importnat for? Whats good about normality? what about focusing on whats special about it? Is this about diverting attention?
Im sorry I’m being cynical, but as a person who lived all my life in Israel, (yes, i guess you can call it a normal life if you really want to) i dont find life there normal. In fact I found the whole of Israeli society one of the most interesting and “not normal” things in the world.
But hey, not being normal isn’t bad, is it?
heh my spamblock word was “Israeli”.
what Im trying to get at is that we talk about Israel precisely because it is not normal.
hey, the website sounds nice though 🙂 its all about semantics. sorry about the rant..
Being an Israeli in exile myself, I think the blog sounds like a great idea. I was introduced to this Jew-centric blogosphere through Rafahpundits, and while I am thankful for them, if you want stale and boring, try a blog dedicated to normal life in the normal little town of Rafah! How stale and boring life must be in a place where the Jew-Zionists are to blame for all the indigenous misery and strife, and nothing will ever change, even though a Jew-free democracy seems to have invaded the rest of Palestine. My point is, I think the author was playing with words, Asaf; nobody is seriously going to contend that life in the motherland is normal.
For once I agree with asaf. That blog sound quite boring. truth is, outside all the conflict and politics, there really isnt too much that would be interesting to the outside world, or even jews.
I agree with Bukakke and Asaf. The site seems redundant. Hate to admit it, but I use the net to escape normality – for the most part – and visit Jewschool, LFG, etc, for the circuses that they’ve become.
You’d be surprised how many people are interested and even surprised that Israelis are just ordinary people living ordinary lives. BTW, I have a problem with the word normal in this context. What the hell is normal?.
Israelity si a great ida, nice looking blog and has a group of great writers.
Normal boring people writing about normal boring lives would be a bore, but with the unique observations of those signed up so far, Isaraelity will be far from boring.
I love it so far.
OK, Israelity was my idea, and I’ll try not to get defensive…
We are talking semantics, though. The point isn’t to show that we are “normal” or “boring” — the point of the blog — and of the organization — is to show that a lot more is going on in Israel than just war and conflict. Which a lot of people don’t understand from the mainstream media, or even reading Israel advocacy blogs that focus only on the conflict.
But I don’t think we are in too much danger of being “normal.”
But not everyone likes all publications, and not everyone likes all blogs. Check it out, if you like it great, if you don’t…that’s fine, too.
Allison, youre a good writer and all, and im sure your site will get plenty of visitors just based on who is running the site, but lets be honest for a second.
Look what you have up on the site: a dedication of a football field, restaurants, an author giving a speech at a university.
Is this what you call “a lot more is going on in Israel than just war and conflict”?
If you read the paper of any decent university or small bumbulfuck town in the U.S. you will find far more going on, and far more prominent people speaking on daily basis. Very few people would consider that “a whole lot going on.”
Before reading your new blog i was of the view that outside conflict and politics, israel had little more to offer than some second rate city in a third rate European country. Your blog has confirmed this view.
BOOOOOORRRIIIINNNG. But don’t worry, plenty of people like to read boring material.
Fitting name, BuKaKKe.
What’s your problem Bukakke?