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August 21, 2008
Wall to Wall Bloggers: Part I
Snap Fingers—You're So Dead!
Snick!
Someone has snapped a picture of me.
I scan the room. ID the Jewparazzi, snap my fingers and point.
One of my trusty thugs oozes forward, all crackling menace, grabs the camera, rips out the negative, and then smashes the camera underfoot.
Gotta control my image. Gotta keep my face from getting fa-mil-iar to 'da authorities. There's too many lookin' to make me swim with the fishes.
That's exactly what happened at the Nefesh B'Nefesh First International Jewish Bloggers Conference—which is way too much to type; henceforth known as NBNFIJBC.
Actually, that's a scene from The Godfather, 1972, one of the bestest movies—evuh. And the scene was played by the great Richard Conte as mob leader Don Emilio Barzini.
Okay, so I didn't sic my goomba on a fellow blogger, but oh man, that scene just played out in my so-called brain with startling reality when someone—hellooo Yehuda!—snapped my picture.
Which is a problem for yours truly. I have this tendency to view movies as a bit more real than, um, reality.
Karen, Baruch HaShem, keeps me rooted to the earth. Without Karen I'd spin off into the stratosphere, just another lost soul.
There is an architecture to my love and devotion to Karen and it is endless; words and emotions that go on and on, like infinite strings of numbers to the depths of the universe.
Why Wasn't Hamas Invited to the NBN Conference?
There's been a certain amount of carefully orchestrated controversy swirling round the NBNFIJBC.
Backstory: A notorious apologist for Muslim terror whispered to Haaretz—duh—that the conference was made up of right wing religious nuts.
Some Haaretz hack—redundancy, I know—published an article, half of which were lies and the other half not true. To gauge the radical leftist slant of the article, get this: the Haaretz author ID'd Treppenwitz as a resident of “Efrat, in the West Bank.” However, the Haaretz piece nowhere mentions the cities where other bloggers reside.
Subtext: Treppenwitz is an evil settler, therefore nothing he says can be trusted.
A not so clever blood libel.
Haaretz writer will say:
I stand by my piece.
Or:
I'll let my readers decide.
The playbook of intellectual collapse and dishonesty.
There is no such thing as journalistic objectivity. A writer/journalist/whatever stakes out specific ideological territory as soon as he chooses his subject matter. All the rest are details to support the writer's political world-view.
The Haaretz piece does not qualify as journalism. It's a disgrace, a wretched hack job written by a tool of the Israeli left, apologists for Arab terror. The writer should be fired so he can gain employment with Hamas or the PA, pumping out anti-Jewish propaganda, his true calling.
Treppenwitz details the entire gruesome drama here.
Does the Face Mirror the Blog?
As the panelists take their seats at the podium—okay, it's a folding table—the bloggers in the audience crane their necks to finally view the men and women who have been, for so many of us, pixallated words, thoughts and feelings.
It's a subtle, Hitchcockian moment of suspense as we in the audience try and fit the physical to the imagined blogger friend.
Carl of Israel Matzav, photo courtesy Yehuda
I see Carl of the excellent Israel Matzav for the very first time.
A lump rises in my throat for years ago, when our son Ariel Chaim ZT'L was first diagnosed with a brain tumor, Carl was one of the the first people with whom we were in touch. His e-mails were filled with solid advice and genuine compassion. Karen and I have always thought of Carl as a cherished friend.
And now here he sits, just a few feet away, and for a frozen moment I don't really care about blogging, I just want to go over and give this fine man a hug.
Later, I do approach Carl, reach out to shake his hand. But I'm so taken with emotion that I don't even introduce myself. Startled, Carl looks up at the strange fanboy pumping his hand, worried that maybe he's just met a true and scary stalker. But then he sees my Seraphic Secret sticker and returns my enthusiastic greeting.
Memo to Self:
1. Must remember to be more verbal with human beings.
2. This is not, I repeat not, a silent film.
Karen and I will be celebrating Shabbat with family in Efrat, which is in the land of Israel—our land, our home, our yerusha, birthright. We wish all our friends a lovely and peaceful Shabbat.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at August 21, 2008 08:28 PM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
All and all a good conference. I just can't remember all the names and faces.
Posted by: Batya at August 21, 2008 11:54 PM
"There is an architecture to my love and devotion to Karen and it is endless; words and emotions that go on and on, like infinite strings of numbers to the depths of the universe."
Okay, see... Now this is why most of us in the world copy stuff off of people like you, rather than even ATTEMPTING to express our feelings on our own. That was intensely sweet. You and Karen are as lucky as... well, as lucky as Avi and me. (I wonder if he will understand the stolen love note I am about to send him. Hmmmmm.... better remember to change the name...)
Posted by: rutimizrachi at August 21, 2008 11:55 PM
So, you are taking on Haaretz, are you? Join the club.
And why do I find myself always in my wife's footsteps? Oh, that's what I had said, sort of, that behind every married blogger is his/her spouse, waiting impatiently to get his/her turn at the computer.
Shabbat Shalom
Posted by: Yisrael Medad at August 22, 2008 05:13 AM
It was great meeting you and Karen, Robert.
And I'll be back to visit your blog.
Shabbat Shalom.
Posted by: Aussie Dave at August 22, 2008 07:28 AM
My husband and I celebrate our 21st anniversary this shabbat. (We spent our week of sheva brachot in Israel, and then some time alone in Eilat at Taba Beach. The following year, Taba became part of Egypt.)
We're not overtly romantic "mushy" types, but I've printed your sentence about Karen, and might ask him to say those words (with my name substituted for hers) to me sometime tomorrow.
Shabbat Shalom!
Posted by: Juggling Frogs at August 22, 2008 01:04 PM
Batya:
A very fine conference. We all owe a big thank you to NBN and the sponsors. I'm sorry I didn't write down the names of all the bloggers I met.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at August 23, 2008 11:06 AM
Rutimizrachi:
Thanks so much for the kind words. I'd consider it an honor for you to borrow my words to kite a love note to your husband.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at August 23, 2008 11:13 AM
Yisrael:
Some people call Haaretz the NY Times of Israel. This is wrong. Haaretz is the Village Voice of Israel.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at August 23, 2008 11:17 AM
Aussie Dave:
Enjoyed meeting you too. Sorry we didn't have even more time to chat.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at August 23, 2008 11:19 AM
Juggling Frogs:
1. Love the name of your blog.
2. By all means hand over the sentence to your husband.
3. For as Orson Welles used to say at the end of his Mercury Theater Radio Broadcasts: “I am your humble servant.”
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at August 23, 2008 11:23 AM