Renouncing

I renounce Judaism, renounce my Israeli title, Renounce great material things and renounce poverty.
I am not anti Judaism, nor anti Israel. I am not, pro Israel, nor am I pro Palestine.
I am, not because I think, not because I work, see or smell. I am.

Choosing a side is choosing violence. Seeing whole and allowing freedom, understanding the conditioning of all, the projections and the fear, being whole with one self, one becomes free and freedom expands from there on.
Knowing this and yet understanding that in daily life actions are happening, arms are fired, weapons are used. There are immediate reactions, anger arises, and especially when close family is danger or even hurt. What to do?

There is conflict. “Conflict arises from self-centered concern” (J. Krishnamurti. The fragmentation, the dividing of you and me, of them and us, create fragmented unions of groups, societies, and nations.

Creating outer changes, trying to look for solutions from the outside, may come from a place of not being capable of change within. The outer change, at times guided by teachers, parents, society, priests or any other authority, is mostly a change based on belief. Instead of believing, lets try to experience. We can listen to guidance, try it out on ourselves and see what holds true for us. Once experiencing is there, we no longer try, just be. There is an understanding, a manifestation of what is.

A message from my insurance company gives tips on how to deal with the anxiety and stress coming from the situation around the globe. Life is changing every moment. One day we have more and another less, one day our neighbors are nice to me and another I perceive them as hostile. Can I accept these changes? Notice if they arise from within my mind, am I adding value to events that are passing by, It is not about putting a band-aid, instead lets find the root cause, understand who am I?

My Dad used to say “Better be smart than right ”. True, he was talking about driving. I remember when I just got my license, and as I was driving our white Audi 80, coming into our street, another car, a red small one, tried to sneak in from the side and go ahead of us.
Knowing that I had the right, and the car needed to wait as it had a yield sign, I downshifted gear and stormed ahead. It was close but I won. 20 years later, I understand what my dad meant. What would I rather, be right and get into a possible accident or let the car go, stay calm and smile with compassion.

This is not a political statement. This is just an observation, just what comes to me now as I head to bed.

Israel, Mom turns 70, family, friends, art and Yoga

6 weeks in the holy land. No, I do not believe there is such a thing as a holy land. All land is holy, and all land is only land, land that shares with us all its splendor. The land never asks who is it that lives by it. Never asks from where we are, and always gives without hesitation.

The blessing of being with close family and true friends, the blessing of having a mother turn 70, her eyes wide open to see life as it is, with all it’s beauty, an optimistic woman full of love.
A gathering of all the family creates energy much more powerful than individual encounters, a connected web of very different individuals sharing one love.

Rediscovering Israel; meeting friends, feeling a connectedness to people, a caring and honesty, as well as seeing the harsh side, the aggressiveness and the need to be right.
A land of contraries, beautiful souls that will give you all they can, help and be there for you, and man to man wolf just around the corner.

I want to mention the great dinner parties we had (thanks Galia, ), and all the amazing friends I met, but will keep the stories simple, and all you that I meet along the way, know that you are in my heart.

Israel is also a land of creation, so much art. Worked on a few different projects and met some beautiful people.
Of course I got to do a project with Polak along with Orly, working with a naked bed, a broom…and a naked soul, stripping off the mind, and diving deep into experience.

Got to shoot from behind a running motorcycle (thanks Shay) for a photo story about social justice.

I continued my human and food project, shooting with pomegranates, lettuce and Carps (Yes, the fish that is used much in Jewish cooking), all handled amazingly by Mia and Rotem.

Fortunately I met Maya Gross, a gifted Yoga teacher, and had the opportunity to deepen my practice. Waking at 4:30 am in Jerusalem so I could drive to Tel-Aviv to take her class in the Ashtanga tradition.

Spent some time in the Sinai desert, floating above the wonders of the red sea. Better than any art show I have ever seen. Nature, and that that is hidden underwater, is a splendor of color and forms, floating in silence surrounded by blue.

Last night in Israel, flight at 5:30am, I drive to Tel Aviv to spend a white night with friends in the lively city. 4:00am we leave for the airport, and the city is still awake.