Daniel Lubetzky

When the movie Life is Beautiful came out back in 1997, I felt a gnawing guilt at enjoying the movie so much, when the protagonist, as a concentration camp prisoner, found a way to laugh and make others laugh, amidst dehumanizing circumstances.  Could a sense of humor have a place in such a dark episode in humanity?

After overcoming the tears from the final scene, I called my Dad and asked him whether people actually laughed in a concentration camp. I was surprised to learn that indeed, the jokes his Dad told may have been the only thing that kept him and other inmates at their bunker in Dachau going – finding some crumbs of humanity to feed their frail hearts, to keep them going.  In fact, in a weird way, my Dad felt Life Is Beautiful was among the movies that best captured his experience as a kid protected by his father (my grandfather), who refused to give up his ability to smile even in – or particularly amidst – such adverse moments.

This weekend we saw Counterfeiters, and I wish I had my Dad around to ask him what he thought of the movie.

I wish I could ask him how he related to the poignant dilemmas presented in the movie: to sabotage the Nazis and risk your life AND the life of your inmates or loved ones, or to pursue your survival while adding fuel to an evil enterprise?  The movie does an excellent job at providing a nuanced story that avoids black and white heroism and forces us to grapple with questions about the human spirit, about the struggle of accepting the privileges of a rotten apple when others don’t have even that to eat.

If you rent this fast-paced, excellently acted and directed movie, make sure you listen to the interview with the writer, Adolf Burger, whose book "The Devil’s Workshop" this movie is based on.

Quiet for decades about his ordeal, Burger finally forced himself to look back and tell his story when the "Holocaust Denial" movement rose among neo-Nazi youth.  He even describes some of the techniques he used for forging British notes, which the British government never caught.

From germination of sperm & ovary, to a living being with thought & conscience…

From one cell to diverse organs.

From living organs to self.

When & how does baby acquire thought?

And self-awareness?

And soul?

It’s such an interesting and powerful feeling that I can be so excited and anxious to meet my baby, and can love someone so much, before having met him.

My wife and I are 6 months pregnant and the incubation process is so wondrous physically but also in terms of the emotional bonds it creates.

This is an article that showed unusual insight and courage, in writing and in life.

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I hope every American family tonight got a chance to listen to Michelle Obama’s speech and to see the girls playfully send regards to their Dad.
Her speech should shatter any sown doubts about her patriotism, & her commitment to what is great about America & the American dream.  More important, seeing the family interact with such natural warmth should highlight their commonality with all Americans and hopefully uproot vestiges of race-based suspicion.

It is rare that the first few paragraphs of a story in the  New York Times will make one cry.  But this story about the quake catastrophe in China is just such an example of human love and the quest for survival amidst adversity.

This guy, Randy Pausch, is truly inspiring.  Make sure you tune in till the end of his presentation.

My sister had a really interesting observation on the modern forms of bondage that we experience, relating to the spiritual aspects of Passover…

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Last night, I had a painful nightmare.  My Dad was having convulsions, pain in his chest and stomach, and I was helpless, unable to help him.  He was dying of what seemed like a heart attack, and I was paralyzed with fear.

The image has haunted me all day.

My Dad passed away four and a half years ago, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about him, but never this way.  I remember his kindness, his love for life, his good sense of humor, his treating every human being with respect.

I think the nightmare must have emanated from the subconscious but deep frustration I’ve experienced this last week with encountering so much pain, fear and ignorance, all transformed into hatred and anger, from vocal minorities that do not recognize the imperative of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by recognizing the humanity and rights of both sides.

I think the helplessness in the dream was a metaphor for the deep feeling of disappointment that I shared with all my team and all our volunteers for the setbacks in showing the voices of moderation on both sides, as we had intended. 

The fear I sensed is probably the fear of not being able to carry out our ultimate vision of bringing peace to the region, a mission I set for myself to do what I can so that others will not have to suffer the way my Father did in the Holocaust, which to me translates as the imperative of resolving the conflict so that the Israeli and Palestinian people will both have a future of freedom, security, dignity, and respect, not to mention to build prosperity and progress and light for the world.

What my Dad had to go through, I don’t want anyone again to go through.  I know I can’t help in all the areas where people ARE going through this (like Darfour!), but at least I want to make what little contribution I can to help the Israeli and Palestinian people.  And yet the utter dehumanization and self-righteousness that has overtaken some small but vocal segments of the population makes this an even harder task.

I don’t want to give up, as much as it is tempting to just say, "I’ve had enough." 

But too much is at stake.

I don’t want to be overtaken with anger and hatred myself, as increasingly hard as it is.  I need to resist the impulses, to try to understand, and to channel frustrations to constructive action.

I don’t want to disappoint the memory of my Father, as much as I fear doing so.

The tensions each of us is feeling at OneVoice as we have so much on our plates to accomplish are palpable.  This weekend I go back to the Middle East, to support OneVoice Palestine and OneVoice Israel on their efforts.  Earlier today we held our last team meeting with the NY staff.  Prior to starting, I asked each team member to share their greatest source of frustration and their greatest source of excitement.  The answers were interesting:

Jake:
Greatest Frustration: when people don’t get it, don’t realize what is at stake, don’t realize the potential to forge change.
Greatest Hope: when really smart people who have been around for quite a while look at this and say, wow, this thing can really transform the region.

Darya:
Greatest Frustration: Getting Sick right in the middle of this whole thing and not being able to distinguish anymore between frustrations from being ill vs. frustrations from all the burdens of this big campaign; [about half the office is under the weather, staying up late at night and working long hours]
Greatest Excitement: Her Majesty Queen Noor Joining as Honorary Co-Chair today.

Erin:
Greatest Frustration: Being Sick Also!
Greatest Excitement: Yahoo Signing Up to Web-stream the OneVoice Summit Live

Natalie:
Greatest Frustration: when so many people are out because of the Jewish or Muslim Holidays and we need them now, to complete the SMS platform and other tasks;
Greatest Excitement: That amidst all the stress, the office environment is constructive and supportive, with everyone united, respectful, and positive

Adee:
Greatest Frustration: Not enough time in the day, the email box is out of control; and on top of executing Oct 18, we need to raise funds and organize fundraising efforts in the midst of the campaign.
Greatest Excitement: A number of hawkish right-wing hold-outs are coming on board and embracing the OneVoice message and methodology; even her Dad is getting involved and is proud (though from what I have seen, he is ALWAYS proud of Adee)

Laurel:
Greatest Disappointment; A friend canceled an after-party in Jericho [because of misinformation, being co-opted by negative voices that threaten the action of moderates, and are threatened thereby]
Greatest Excitement: A training session for student activists in DC included an impressive array of activists totally passionate and committed to the cause.

Alana:
Greatest Frustration: Microsoft Outlook2003, and all that it involves: out of control email, hard to keep up,
Greatest Hope: realizing this IS going to HAPPEN.  Friends from both sides coming to listen.

Miriam:
Greatest Frustration: realizing that pulling off the event in Capitol Hill/Washington DC will be harder than imagined and that key elements are daunting.
Greatest Excitement: a great army of students, a great program, and scores of people coming from across country to the DC event.