To add to the list of names I’ve been called: “un-American,” “shallow and selfserving [sic],” leading a “sad, uncommitted life,” spewing “sentimental, inward looking [sic] ‘me, me, me’ selfish nonsense.” and then, of course, there’s “Shame on you for writing this!” But again, some commenters sympathized with the dilemma I wrote about in Tablet magazine last week: how to teach my kids about Israel despite my own ambivalence about its current government. Some provided useful suggestions of pedagogical strategies and resources; others took issue with my portrayal of Zionism as this monolithic militaristic entity (which wasn’t my intention, but I can see how I blew it, writing-wise) and explained how pluralistic Zionism has been since its inception. Smart feedback (even when it disagrees with me) rather than name-calling! Nutty!

Anyway, I wrote about some of the responses to the column here. I wonder what impact — if any — Israel’s little PR debacle on the high seas will have on American right-wing Zionists.

In any case, next week I am writing something so friggin’ airy and weightless, it will float out of people’s memories like a poofy summer cloud.