To understand my relationship with God, you have to know how I got here. I was born in Tehran, Iran in 1982 during the Iranian (Islamic) Revolution where the secularized and modernized dynasty under Shah Pahlavi was toppled and replaced by an Islamic republic. The situation in Iran at that time was grim for everyone, but especially for Jews, which is what my family and I are. Why was it hard to be a Jew in Iran during the Iranian revolution? Because Jews were subjected to government-sanctioned
I've received many comments privately that I think it's important to share. I hope they move you as much as they've moved me.
"... nice to read in a time when a lot of reading makes me feel sad and full of grief. Your words were uplifting and left me with hope."
"Your email is the first thing I've read since this all started that made me feel human."
"Thank you for writing this. I'm very happy that you did."
"It's hard to believe in God during times like this, and it's hard NOT to believe in God during times like this. Because we deeply need deliverance from all that is not love... I can't begin to understand the nuances of war, land, peace, and politics in the middle east. I think people are quick to "pick a side" because that is the polarity we live in. It's easier that way. Streamlined. I used to think, how could anyone participate in something as wrong and horrific as the Holocaust? And now, as an adult living in this particular age of the Internet, I can see: it's another stronghold of duality. The nature of man vs the holiness of God. Restrictive fear vs ever-expansive love. Perhaps that is an oversimplification. But maybe it's not.
Everyday I pray for peace. I pray for love to soften ALL hearts. For light to outshine the darkness in our minds. I believe we are all connected, more than we can fathom, and so freedom for one is freedom for another one and another one and another one, until it's the lot of us. Maybe then we will be truly home, not separated or divided. Not screaming into the void. Maybe then we will know God, in the stillness, and from that stillness, a joyful song."
I hope you'll leave a comment and share how this post made you feel, or better still, the step it inspired you to take towards someone else.
I've received many comments privately that I think it's important to share. I hope they move you as much as they've moved me.
"... nice to read in a time when a lot of reading makes me feel sad and full of grief. Your words were uplifting and left me with hope."
"Your email is the first thing I've read since this all started that made me feel human."
"Thank you for writing this. I'm very happy that you did."
"It's hard to believe in God during times like this, and it's hard NOT to believe in God during times like this. Because we deeply need deliverance from all that is not love... I can't begin to understand the nuances of war, land, peace, and politics in the middle east. I think people are quick to "pick a side" because that is the polarity we live in. It's easier that way. Streamlined. I used to think, how could anyone participate in something as wrong and horrific as the Holocaust? And now, as an adult living in this particular age of the Internet, I can see: it's another stronghold of duality. The nature of man vs the holiness of God. Restrictive fear vs ever-expansive love. Perhaps that is an oversimplification. But maybe it's not.
Everyday I pray for peace. I pray for love to soften ALL hearts. For light to outshine the darkness in our minds. I believe we are all connected, more than we can fathom, and so freedom for one is freedom for another one and another one and another one, until it's the lot of us. Maybe then we will be truly home, not separated or divided. Not screaming into the void. Maybe then we will know God, in the stillness, and from that stillness, a joyful song."
I hope you'll leave a comment and share how this post made you feel, or better still, the step it inspired you to take towards someone else.
It's such an important time to recognize everyone deserves to live with safety, freedom, and peace. Thank you for sharing your story.