I Love Your Passion. Really, I Do.

Tomorrow is a day of reckoning for all Israelis, but for the politically-engaged most of all. This post is for them.

Several months ago, journalist Eli Lake wrote a piece about how he responds to people who attack him on Twitter.

“So here is what works,” he wrote. “Retweet the hater’s tweet, appending the phrase ‘I love your passion,’ or some variation. This may seem counterintuitive. After all, the hater has just insulted you and you respond with a compliment. But ‘I love your passion’ is no compliment at all. It’s what you hear from someone who is about to disappoint you. It’s what you hear when you don’t get the job.”

Here’s the thing, though. You guys are no haters. And I really do love your passion.

Your passion reminds me that, for all the appeal of low-priced chocolate pudding in Berlin, there are still many dedicated people working to ensure that we are all able to live here with dignity. It reminds me that, for every snotty Israeli artist who disavows his ties to his country of birth in order to curry favor in Paris, there are countless activists helping to make Israel a country of which we can all continue to be proud. It reminds me that, for all the hate and bile poured onto us by foes near and far, there are so many good people across the political spectrum who are doing whatever they can to safeguard this place we all call home.

Your passion inspires me. It fills me with hope. And it makes me confident that, no matter what happens tomorrow and in the weeks ahead, we’re in for an even brighter future.

Thank you all, and may you all end the day with a smile.