{"id":30434,"date":"2018-10-18T14:39:05","date_gmt":"2018-10-18T14:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kimmdacosta.com\/?page_id=30434"},"modified":"2022-09-28T13:40:29","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T11:40:29","slug":"gamla-texter-och-kronikor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kimdacosta.com\/?page_id=30434","title":{"rendered":"Texter och kr\u00f6nikor"},"content":{"rendered":"

[UPPDATERAS KONTINUERLIGT]<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jag har alltid skrivit en massa.
\nB\u00e5de h\u00f6gt och l\u00e5gt.
\nP\u00e5 denna sida ska jag samla det mest l\u00e4sv\u00e4rda.<\/p>\n

\u00c4ldsta texterna l\u00e4ngst ner.<\/p>\n

\n

Asyls\u00f6kande utnyttjas grovt<\/strong><\/p>\n

De har inga r\u00e4ttigheter. De kan inte klaga. De m\u00e5ste bara tacka och ta emot \u2013 annars blir de visade d\u00f6rren.<\/p>\n

\n

F\u00f6r n\u00e5gra m\u00e5nader sedan l\u00e4rde jag k\u00e4nna en person som kom att st\u00e5 mig mycket n\u00e4ra. Han \u00e4r asyls\u00f6kande fr\u00e5n Mellan\u00f6stern och har varit i Finland i tre \u00e5r och v\u00e4ntar fortfarande p\u00e5 att f\u00e5 uppeh\u00e5llstillst\u00e5nd. Skulle han \u00e5terv\u00e4nda till sitt hemland skulle han riskera sitt liv av anledningar som jag av h\u00e4nsyn till honom inte kommer att g\u00e5 in p\u00e5. Men man b\u00f6rjar ju undra vad denna utdragna process egentligen handlar om.<\/p>\n

I ett drygt \u00e5r har denne man arbetat p\u00e5 ett statligt \u00e4gt bolag och b\u00e5de hans egna och hans asyls\u00f6kande kollegers ber\u00e4ttelser visar hur detta (observera statliga!) bolag utnyttjar dessa desperata m\u00e4nniskor.<\/p>\n

Mannen i fr\u00e5ga jobbar natt (naturligtvis f\u00f6r en v\u00e4ldigt l\u00e5g timl\u00f6n) och han vet aldrig riktigt hur l\u00e5ngt hans arbetspass kommer att vara. Slutar han ”tidigt” g\u00e5r inga bussar hem\u00e5t och han f\u00e5r promenera i regn och rusk \u2013 och snart sn\u00f6slask \u2013 i en timme f\u00f6r att komma hem.<\/p>\n

Bolaget i fr\u00e5ga utnyttjar denna billiga arbetskraft bland annat genom att inte skicka ut scheman i tid \u2013 och schemana verkar vara minst sagt oklara och oregelbundna \u2013 vilket f\u00e5r de asyls\u00f6kande, som naturligtvis inte k\u00e4nner till finl\u00e4ndska lagar och regler, att bara jobba p\u00e5. Natt efter natt. N\u00e4r l\u00f6nen sedan kommer s\u00e5 saknas det ers\u00e4ttning f\u00f6r en massa arbetspass.<\/p>\n

”Men varf\u00f6r jobbade du p\u00e5 dina lediga dagar eller n\u00e4tter?” f\u00e5r de h\u00f6ra n\u00e4r de ifr\u00e5gas\u00e4tter l\u00f6nen (om de v\u00e5gar, vill s\u00e4ga).<\/p>\n

Jag h\u00f6rde just ett skr\u00e4ckexempel om hur en person hade jobbat 13 n\u00e4tter i f\u00f6ljd och endast f\u00e5tt betalt f\u00f6r tre(!).<\/p>\n

De som kommer fr\u00e5n en helt annan kultur vet naturligtvis inte hur saker och ting fungerar i Finland, och de som inte ens talar engelska utnyttjas s\u00e5 klart v\u00e4rst.<\/p>\n

Mannen som jag inledde denna text med har under flera m\u00e5nader upplevt samma sak. Bara f\u00f6r ett par dagar sedan fick han sin l\u00f6n och det fattades ers\u00e4ttning f\u00f6r \u00e5tta n\u00e4tter. Efter m\u00e5nga om och men sade han att han inte l\u00e4ngre bryr sig om pengarna. Han ville bara att arbetsledaren skulle erk\u00e4nna att det var hennes fel. Denna erk\u00e4nde att det delvis var hennes fel, men n\u00e5gon korrigering var det dock inte tal om.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Och inte bara det. F\u00f6r ett tag sedan var den asyls\u00f6kande mannen sjuk i s\u00e5 h\u00f6g feber att han knappt kunde g\u00e5. Han sjukskrev sig och fick n\u00e4sta dag h\u00f6ra att om han inte kommer till jobbet f\u00f6ljande natt ”s\u00e5 stannar du hemma i en m\u00e5nad och sedan avslutar vi ditt kontrakt”.<\/p>\n

P\u00e5 detta s\u00e4tt hotar cheferna p\u00e5 detta statliga bolag dessa utsatta m\u00e4nniskor. De har inga r\u00e4ttigheter. De kan inte klaga. De m\u00e5ste bara tacka och ta emot \u2013 annars blir de visade d\u00f6rren. Och det kan leda till en massa andra konsekvenser \u2013 som ett negativt svar p\u00e5 asylans\u00f6kan exempelvis.<\/p>\n

Dessutom verkar all kontakt mellan arbetsgivare och arbetstagare g\u00e5 via sms-meddelanden. Jag har tagit del av dessa konversationer och utan att g\u00e5 in p\u00e5 n\u00e5gra detaljer kan jag avsl\u00f6ja att det inte \u00e4r n\u00e5gon trevlig l\u00e4sning.<\/p>\n

”Jag m\u00e5ste vara galen som kom till Finland”, sade min v\u00e4n, ”men jag ville bara bort fr\u00e5n krig och el\u00e4nde och f\u00e5 leva i lugn och ro och g\u00f6ra r\u00e4tt f\u00f6r mig. Men d\u00e5 vill jag ocks\u00e5 bli r\u00e4ttvist behandlad.”<\/p>\n

Skamligt \u00e4r bara f\u00f6rnamnet.<\/p>\n

Publicerad i Hufvudstadsbladet, oktober 2018<\/em><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Svensk eller finne?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hur vi \u00e4n f\u00f6rs\u00f6ker f\u00e5 folk att f\u00f6rst\u00e5 att vi \u00e4r finnar f\u00f6dda i Sverige f\u00e5r vi h\u00f6ra att vi minsann \u00e4r svenskar.<\/p>\n

\n

Sedan jag flyttade till Helsingfors f\u00f6r knappt tv\u00e5 \u00e5r sedan har jag st\u00f6tt p\u00e5 otaliga andra sverigefinl\u00e4ndare som ”\u00e5terv\u00e4nt hem”. Samtliga har, liksom jag, f\u00f6tts i Sverige med finska f\u00f6r\u00e4ldrar och dessa nya bekantskaper har vittnat om samma sak som jag: rotl\u00f6sheten.<\/p>\n

I Sverige f\u00f6rnekade vi v\u00e5r finskhet och vi ville mer \u00e4n n\u00e5gonting annat bli sedda som svenskar. Trots att vi talade flytande svenska utan brytning och var ”kulturellt svenska” s\u00e5 bubblade alltid finskheten under ytan. Folk p\u00e5minde oss st\u00e4ndigt om att vi i sj\u00e4lva verket var finnar. S\u00e5 vi packade till slut v\u00e5ra v\u00e4skor och flyttade ”hem”.<\/p>\n

V\u00e4l i Finland ses vi st\u00e4ndigt som svenskar. Hur vi \u00e4n f\u00f6rs\u00f6ker f\u00e5 folk att f\u00f6rst\u00e5 att vi \u00e4r finnar f\u00f6dda i Sverige f\u00e5r vi h\u00f6ra att vi minsann \u00e4r svenskar. Speciellt vi som har en liten brytning n\u00e4r vi talar finska (den ber\u00f6mda ”svenska melodin” g\u00f6r sig st\u00e4ndigt p\u00e5mind).<\/p>\n

Rotl\u00f6sheten dyker upp igen.<\/p>\n

En sverigefinl\u00e4ndare som numera bor i Finland \u2013 \u00e4r han eller hon fortfarande sverigefinl\u00e4ndare eller \u00e4r han helt enkelt en finne som har kommit hem?<\/p>\n

Publicerad i Hufvudstadsbladet, juli 2018<\/em><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u00c4r jag redan kasserad?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jag har s\u00f6kt alla slags jobb. Dock utan resultat.<\/p>\n

\n

Jag flyttade fr\u00e5n Sverige till Finland f\u00f6r tv\u00e5 och ett halvt \u00e5r sedan. Dels ville jag f\u00e5 en nystart i livet, dels b\u00f6rjade jag intressera mig mer och mer f\u00f6r mina finl\u00e4ndska r\u00f6tter.<\/p>\n

Jag har verkligen kommit att \u00e4lska detta mitt nygamla hemland och inte minst den fantastiska huvudstaden.<\/p>\n

Men det \u00e4r n\u00e5got som skaver.<\/p>\n

Jag s\u00f6ker jobb efter jobb, men jag f\u00e5r inte napp. Trots bra papper i bagaget \u2013 inte minst rekommendationer fr\u00e5n tidigare arbetsgivare \u2013 s\u00e5 har jag nu varit arbetsl\u00f6s i tv\u00e5 \u00e5r.<\/p>\n

Jag har blivit kallad till ett f\u00e5tal intervjuer och de har gjort klart f\u00f6r mig att de ”gillat mig” och allt har k\u00e4nts hoppfullt, men sedan har jag \u00e4nd\u00e5 n\u00e5gra dagar senare tagit emot ett meddelande d\u00e4r jag tackas f\u00f6r visat intresse ”men den h\u00e4r g\u00e5ngen blev du inte utvald”.<\/p>\n

Jag har nu b\u00f6rjat misst\u00e4nka att jag helt enkelt \u00e4r f\u00f6r gammal. Vid 43 \u00e5rs \u00e5lder \u2013 \u00e4r jag redan kasserad?<\/p>\n

Jag vill p\u00e5peka att jag har s\u00f6kt alla slags jobb. Inte bara inom min tidigare bransch (it) utan \u00e4ven de ”enklaste” jobb p\u00e5 lager, i butik, p\u00e5 fabrik etcetera.<\/p>\n

Dock utan resultat.<\/p>\n

Utan de r\u00e4tta kontakterna och med en skyh\u00f6g \u00e5lder p\u00e5 hela 43 \u00e5r \u2013 hur ska jag lyckas hitta ett jobb? Jag vill n\u00e4mligen stanna i Finland. Tips mottages med tacksamhet.<\/p>\n

Publicerad i Hufvudstadsbladet, maj 2018<\/em><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Blue And White<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hey friends.<\/p>\n

Long time no see.<\/p>\n

You see, I\u2019ve been very busy.<\/p>\n

After much consideration I decided to leave the country I was born in.
\nThe country I grew up in.
\nThat I loved.
\nThe country that gave me a very good start in life.<\/p>\n

And a feeling of being very safe.<\/p>\n

Sweden.<\/p>\n

This once such a blooming place on earth.<\/p>\n

Now so lost.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been following the reports about what\u2019s happening in Sweden you know what I\u2019m talking about.
\nIf you are \u2013 just like I am \u2013 a political news junkie, you can only imagine how frustrating it is to live in such a country.<\/p>\n

It sucks the energy out of you.<\/p>\n

When I \u2013 just a simple and caring man \u2013 began writing about Israel all those years ago, to try to wake the Swedes up to a new reality regarding Israel, I suddenly found myself trying to wake them up regarding Sweden.<\/p>\n

But the heads were busy getting deeper and deeper buried in the sand.<\/p>\n

The people of Sweden have been brainwashed for decades.
\nNot only regarding Israel, but also regarding their own country.<\/p>\n

The journalists haven\u2019t been JOURNALISTS for years and years, but rather they\u2019ve been busy trying to educate people according to the journalists\u2019 own political views and their own agenda.<\/p>\n

The political leadership have gone from bad to worse.<\/p>\n

I saw no future in Sweden.
\nQuite frankly Sweden scares me.
\nThe country that I loved so much.
\nI don\u2019t recognize it anymore.
\nI feel totally disconnected to this New Sweden.<\/p>\n

So I chose to leave.<\/p>\n

Thankfully I had an easy way out: my other homeland Finland.<\/p>\n

Sweden and Finland \u2013 geographically so close, but intellectually, and on so many levels, miles and miles apart.<\/p>\n

The Finns have fought for their country.
\nThey don\u2019t take it for granted.
\nThe Finnish people know that everything can be lost, so one must take care of what one\u2019s got.<\/p>\n

Much like the Israelis, the Finns are living in reality.
\nThe Swedes are living in la la land.<\/p>\n

My ultimate goal is still to live permanently in Israel one day, but until then you know where to find me.<\/p>\n

Oh, and indeed: blue and white go so well together!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, december 2015.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

We Brush It Off And Rise Again<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m in Israel again.
\nI guess it\u2019s my 13th visit. Or perhaps 14th?
\nHowever.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s great to be back and I\u2019ve actually loved these incredibly rainy days in Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a different kind of trip, for various reasons \u2013 not only weather wise. Much more soul searching and spiritual fuelling, and less barhopping and shopping. (Well, I do need my dose of the shuk and the glorious bookstores filled with books on Judaism and Israel!)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to clean out the old and bring in the new.
\nA cleansing inside out.<\/p>\n

Like I wrote on my Facebook page last night:<\/p>\n

\u201cCelebrating a new chapter in my life, and I\u2019m doing it with a third tattoo.
\nThank you, Israel, for the energy you give me, and thank you for helping me become a better version of myself.
\nI love you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because that is my experience time after time.
\nI visit your lovely little strip of land and it recharges me.
\nMy poor old soul suddenly feels young and fresh.
\nI feel stronger. I realise\u00a0that I can do anything, and everything is actually possible. (OK not\u00a0everything<\/em>, but a lot of things.)<\/p>\n

So thank you, Israel, for giving me so much.
\nI imagine you, Israel, as a very old lady \u2013 yet very perky and with a lot of humour.
\nPlus you\u2019re pretty hot too, Lady Israel.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an interesting year. In many ways a horrible year (despite four trips to the Holy Land).
\nBut I am now moving on and now entering a new chapter in my life.
\n(AKA midlife crisis.)
\nI brush it all off and rise again \u2013 much like Israel.<\/p>\n

2015 is going to be fantastic!
\nHealthy, happy and harmonious.
\nAnd I will officially become a Jew!<\/p>\n

So, Lady Israel, hopefully you love me as much as I love you.
\nAnd together we\u2019ll walk hand in hand into a bright and peaceful future.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, november 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

With Rockets Flying Over My Head<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last night I came back from Israel.
\nStockholm greeted me with rain and 12 degrees.
\nI immediately wanted to turn around and return to Israel.<\/p>\n

This \u2013 my 12th \u2013 trip was pretty different from the previous ones.<\/p>\n

For the first time ever, I got to experience war.
\nI got to experience the sirens. The booms. The panic and the drama.<\/p>\n

My friends in Tel Aviv were all talking about the rockets.
\nThe rockets that I\u2019ve been nagging about on social media for the past few years.<\/p>\n

Now I know what I\u2019m talking about.
\nI assumed they were scary \u2013 and now I know that they are.<\/p>\n

One evening as I was lying in bed, working on my computer, I suddenly heard that horrible sound that meant:\u00a0\u201cIncoming rockets from Gaza. They are trying to kill us all\u201d.
\nI went to a safer place in the apartment that I was staying in, and my host, who just made Aliyah a few months ago, hugged me as we heard the loud booms, and felt the house shake. Then loud booms again.<\/p>\n

My heart was beating faster than ever and my hands were shaking.<\/p>\n

People \u2013 at least in Sweden \u2013 often claim that \u201cthose are just home-made rockets\u201d. Almost as if talking about fireworks.<\/p>\n

No, those rockets are dangerous. They are terror.<\/p>\n

Another day, early in the morning, I woke up to\u00a0the sound of the sirens.
\nI ran half-naked to the staircase, and said \u201cBoker Tov\u201d to the half-naked neighbours. It turned out to be a false alarm, but nevertheless. It was not a nice way to start the day.<\/p>\n

My Israeli friends told me stories about how their kids react to these alarms: that they are stressed and nervous. Don\u2019t want to be alone. Don\u2019t want to go outside.<\/p>\n

One friends told me about how her daughter \u2013 scared and stressed \u2013 decided to hug the neighbour\u2019s shaking dog in the shelter.
\nNow they comfort each other every time the sirens go off. Heartbreaking.<\/p>\n

In difficult times people tend to come together, and I noticed that in Israel. Every one was just a\u00a0little<\/em>\u00a0friendlier. A\u00a0little<\/em>\u00a0calmer.
\nBut I also noticed that life had to go on.
\nThe streets of Tel Aviv were a little emptier than before, but people (including myself and my friends) went out for dinner. Had a nice chat. A laugh. And we always knew where the nearest bomb shelter was located.<\/p>\n

This experience made me connect even more with Israel.
\nSome friends back in Sweden thought I was crazy to travel to Israel in these turbulent times, but the thing is that I am with you forever.
\nI stand with Israel in good times and in bad times.<\/p>\n

Thank you, people of Israel, for making my life so much richer.<\/p>\n

Ahava!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, augusti 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

ZF UK Trip to Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n

I recently started working for the Zionist Federation in Sweden, and last week I had the privilege to join the ZF UK on their trip to Israel.
\nThis happened to be my tenth visit to the country since 2008, and I was yet again astounded by how much this tiny country has to offer.<\/p>\n

Below are some of the highlights from the trip.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Briefing by British Ambassador Matthew Gould<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I\u2019m not British I had no knowledge about the Ambassador. I do follow a lot of British people on social media though, so I was familiar with the fact that there are many similarities in the way(s) Israel is seen and is being treated in Sweden and in the UK respectively.
\nEspecially so when mainstream media is concerned. The situation is very depressing in both countries.
\nIt was a nice and welcoming little briefing, and turned out that the Ambassador had a lot of humour. Which is always nice.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Meir Amit Center \u2013 Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

This was definitely one of my favourite places that we visited<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and a place I had never heard of before.
\nThe \u201cterror rooms\u201d with various \u201cmemorabilia\u201d from the PA were scary, interesting and somewhat depressing.
\nI\u2019d seen a lot of the \u201cIt\u2019s fun and fabulous to be a suicide bomber\u201d-brochures online, but it was fascinating in a sickening way to see them \u201clive\u201d.<\/p>\n

We got to hear a few stories about the people that had died \u2013 whose names were written on the walls \u2013 and they were all very interesting and well deserving of becoming movies.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Kfar Isfiya<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d read some about the Druze people but never really understood it, so travelling up north and being introduced to the Druze lifestyle and religion was interesting indeed (and left me wanting to know more).
\nThis was another place I\u2019d never had visited on one of my \u201cregular\u201d trips to Israel. (And the Druze lunch was very tasty indeed.)<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Ofakim \u2013 Student Village<\/strong><\/p>\n

I very much admire the spirit of the\u00a0Ayalim Association<\/a>\u00a0and I first learned about them on a seminar a couple of years ago, when I\u2019d been asked to write a short piece on the subject for Menorah Sweden.
\nI appreciated seeing one of these villages and listening to people\u2019s personal stories on how they became involved.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Gilad Shalit<\/strong><\/p>\n

We met Gilad Shalit at his Herzliya University and to me, personally, it was magnificent to see the young man in person, as I started blogging about Israel at about the same time that he got kidnapped, and I wrote about him many many times.
\nHowever, the \u201cevent\u201d itself, which was a very low-key lunch, felt very awkward.
\nGilad was obviously very uncomfortable with the attention and as we weren\u2019t allowed to ask about the things we all really wanted to ask about, it all felt pretty unnecessary. However \u2013 nice to see the man!<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Shmuel Ben Tovim<\/strong><\/p>\n

I admit that I felt very out of place. Economics, numbers\u2026 Not my area at all. However, I love statistics and I did get something out of this briefing. (Israel is growing stronger and stronger.)<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Stern Gallery<\/strong><\/p>\n

What I very much appreciated with this trip was the diversity. From Israel\u2019s economy in the morning to Israeli art in the evening.
\nAnd I felt more at home at the\u00a0art gallery<\/a>\u2026 This event was a nice little surprise. I like art although I don\u2019t \u201cknow\u201d art. It just so happened that I \u201cgot\u201d the art that was presented to us.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Space IL<\/strong><\/p>\n

This interesting project<\/a>\u00a0I first heard about online quite some time ago. A huge project of course, and indeed very fascinating.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Herzl Museum + Gil Hoffman and Mark Regev<\/strong><\/p>\n

I had never visited the\u00a0Herzl Museum<\/a>\u00a0before and it was a pleasant surprise. What a wonderful museum, full of surprises!<\/p>\n

The speeches by Hoffman and Regev were brilliant. Informative and also fun at times.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Micky Rosenfeld + The Western Wall Tunnel<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was the day before the Pope\u2019s arrival and Jerusalem was pretty chaotic and closed off. Chief Inspector Micky Rosenfeld spoke about how the police operates in Jerusalem and it was all very interesting and felt extra relevant on this particular day.<\/p>\n

The Tunnel was very very long and although the guide was very annoying and too much \u201con fire\u201d (at least for a laid-back Scandinavian person) the stories and the history was fascinating.<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0i24News<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a huge fan of this\u00a0television channel<\/a>, the last day of the trip was my favourite day. First of all, to step into the building felt epic. And seeing the studios!
\nMeeting the CEO Frank Melloul and news anchor Lucy Aharish was just too good to be true!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, juni 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Following my heart<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first couple of weeks of 2014 I spent thinking about these past years that changed my life.<\/p>\n

That is, when Israel and Judaism came into my life. From nowhere and literally from every imaginable angle. (I also begun converting to Judaism but that\u2019s another blog post.)<\/p>\n

Why am I doing what I\u2019m doing? The short answer: I\u2019m following my heart.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not always easy being a pro-Israel blogger in Sweden.<\/p>\n

As an activist\u00a0for<\/em>\u00a0Israel you easily become a target for all kinds of loons: it\u2019s easy to give up.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve received quite a few emails recently, with questions about why it isn\u2019t possible to post\u00a0comments on my\u00a0website<\/a>. I assure you that having open comments on a\u00a0pro-Israel<\/strong>\u00a0website in\u00a0Sweden<\/strong>\u00a0is quite impossible. You would have to hire someone to remove nasty comments 24\/7.<\/p>\n

When I opened my first blog, what feels like 200 years ago, the readers were able to post comments. They were unsurprisingly\u00a0filled with hatred, anger and \u2018opinions\u2019 (AKA \u2018things I\u2019ve read in a Swedish newspaper\u2019).<\/p>\n

So, I said \u2018goodbye\u2019 to comments and stomach pain, and \u2018hello\u2019 to my new website, which is not a blog but just that \u2013 a website.<\/p>\n

After all my mission is to introduce another Israel. Not to waste my time \u2018discussing\u2019 with lost cases.<\/p>\n

I want my countrymen to discover the Israel that I love.<\/p>\n

The diverse, welcoming, colourful and somewhat sassy Israel.<\/p>\n

Beyond the conflicts.<\/p>\n

Beyond the drama.<\/p>\n

Beyond the lies and anti-Israel propaganda.<\/p>\n

Another truth.<\/p>\n

Then there is of course utter anti-Semites, but if it\u2019s possible to slap some sense into them I do not know. Lost cases, probably.<\/p>\n

Once you understand how the media works, you can\u2019t just let it be.
\nThe fact that the Israelis are constantly exposed to terror in the form of rockets (with the intent to kill as many Jewish children, women and men as possible), stone throwing (no bored, angry, innocent teenage kids with tiny rocks, but deadly ROCKS) and so on, and the media keeps quiet should make every Swede upset. You know, the Swede who decades ago put a halo on his head and talks endlessly about \u201cdemocracy\u201d and \u201cfairness\u201d.<\/p>\n

This is apparently easily forgotten when it comes to the world\u2019s only Jewish state.<\/p>\n

There are no demos nor rioting in the streets when Israel is suffering from terror and misery.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s partly because no one knows that something happened.<\/p>\n

And why do they not know that? Because the media won\u2019t tell them\u00a0(Hence all the fabulous, devoted pro-Israel activists).<\/p>\n

This vile, deceitful, dishonest type of \u2018journalism\u2019 scares me.<\/p>\n

Whether you \u2018like\u2019 Israel or not (and if you don\u2019t, you probably never visited the country and met with its amazing citizens), one should understand that this is nothing short of brainwashing people and that\u2019s certainly not cool.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s stay positive!<\/p>\n

I said (a clich\u00e9, I know) once that if I can get just one person\u2019s perception of the Jewish state to change, then I am pleased. And that happened years ago, so from now on everything\u2019s a big bonus. Since then the negative feedback (AKA hate mail) has more or less faded away, being replaced with praise. Very nice and important for a simple pro-Israel activist.<\/p>\n

So yes, my life changed completely back in 2008, when Lady Israel stepped into my life, in those high heels and with that huge, welcoming smile on her lips.<\/p>\n

And I will most certainly continue doing what I\u2019m doing.<\/p>\n

Only louder. Better. More.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find me \u2013 except on Times of Israel \u2013\u00a0also on\u00a0Israelism.se<\/a>,LettersFromIsrael.com<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and Facebook (search for my name in \u201cpages\u201d).<\/p>\n

I am also involved in the fight against anti-Semitism online, throughYadBYad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By the way, I recently made another \u201cHebrew\u201d video.\u00a0Watch it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, januari 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Judaism Makes Me Want To Become a Better Person<\/strong><\/p>\n

I more or less \u2018wrote\u2019 this blog post in my head last night when I couldn\u2019t sleep.
\nIt happens to me regularly, that I lie there hour after hour. My mind is all over the place and I just can\u2019t relax.
\nApart from going though all the things one has to do in daily life my brain has lately been on a spiritual journey.
\nI guess it has to do with getting older.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know how many nights in the past five years I\u2019ve been awake with books on Judaism in my hands or thoughts about Judaism in my head, but eventually something had to be done.<\/p>\n

So I did what I had to do: I finally took the first step towards Judaism. Well, that\u2019s not exactly true. I took my first step four years ago but because of certain circumstances it all fell apart before it really begun.<\/p>\n

I then took my second step a little over a year ago, but that time it too fell to pieces (which had nothing to do with me).<\/p>\n

I just couldn\u2019t seem to find a way to convert in my hometown Stockholm.<\/p>\n

Then \u2013 very randomly \u2013 when I was visiting Israel someone gave me a new idea. I was sitting by the beach in Tel Aviv, with a Jewish Israeli friend currently living in Sweden, and he told me about this congregation in Copenhagen, Denmark.<\/p>\n

Back in Sweden I sent them an email and they were very welcoming and asked me to travel to Copenhagen to meet with them. So I did.
\nAfter about two seconds I knew that this was exactly what I had been waiting for \u2013 or perhaps what the Universe had been planning for me all the time, just waiting for me to be ready.<\/p>\n

Of course those two earlier attempts were bound to \u2018fail\u2019 as they were not right for me.
\nHence I will be traveling to Copenhagen on a regular basis and eventually I will finally become a Jew.
\nSomething I\u2019ve known for the past four or five years would happen sooner or later.<\/p>\n

Many of my Jewish friends who were not born Jewish (although Jew-ish with Jewish souls) say the same. \u201cI knew early on that it would happen one day\u201d and \u201cI wish I\u2019d done it earlier\u201d.<\/p>\n

So why do I want to convert?
\nBecause I feel at home in Judaism and I\u00a0feel<\/em>\u00a0I belong with the Jewish people.
\nI had a\u00a0feeling<\/em>\u00a0and an interest very early on. I had forgotten about most of it until I recently found my old-old-old journals. Especially the history of the Jews \u2013 and Israel \u2013 was fascinating to me as a child. It\u2019s a bit hard to describe but \u00a0I was always drawn to Judaism. It\u2019s as if I personally didn\u2019t have to do anything \u2013 someone did it for me. Something tried to get my attention.<\/p>\n

After these childhood feelings and thoughts I of course became a young adult and I was busy growing up (and I was very busy clubbing).
\nMost of us grow up eventually and one day I felt empty.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s when Judaism and Israel \u2018accidentally\u2019 came back into my life. It was as if Someone had just switched the light on and suddenly it became so bright and clear.<\/p>\n

For which I am very thankful as I was in need of some spirituality in my life.<\/p>\n

In short Judaism makes me want to become a better person.
\nI\u2019m pretty decent already, but I most certainly can improve!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, oktober 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

The Israeli Heat<\/strong><\/p>\n

I guess this is my first TOI blog post written in Israel.
\nYes, I am here again, for the fourth time in the past eleven months.
\nI am loving every second, although I admit that the August heat IS a little much.
\nHowever, I keep reminding myself about the fact that when I get back to Sweden I will have more or less six coldish, gray and ugly months ahead of me. Sure, winter is beautiful \u2013 if there is snow. And even if we do get a lot of snow in Stockholm, it\u2019s fun for only a week or two.<\/p>\n

So I am not complaining about my eyes itching because of the salty sweat that reaches them\u2026<\/p>\n

Israel has treated me well also this time. I\u2019ve met old and new friends and overall the Israelis are such a warm and welcoming people.
\nLike the Jewish couple I accidentally met in Jerusalem, who invited me to their (amazing) home in the Old City.
\nThey wished me well on my journey to Judaism and lent me a book. Just like that.
\nWonderful people.<\/p>\n

I have such intelligent friends in Israel, and whenever I share a shakshuka or a bottle of red wine with them, I wish that all my brainwashed countrymen would have the opportunity to do the same.<\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t read any Swedish papers properly in the past few days, but I saw some headlines and they were all about the \u2018poor Palestinian prisoners\u2019 who \u2018finally\u2019 got released from those evil Israelis\u2019 prisons (where they apparently were held just for the fun of it).<\/p>\n

Also I noticed the never ending headlines about the \u2018settlements\u2019 being the biggest obstacle to peace. Meanwhile rockets were being shot into Israel.<\/p>\n

A friend of mine yesterday said something like this:<\/p>\n

\u201dThere can not be peace as long as the Palestinians welcome these murderers as heroes. Had a Jew been murdering Arabs and gotten released from prison prematurely, we would not rejoice. To us he would be a murderer who deserves to be kept in prison.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

IMHO that pretty much says it all.<\/p>\n

I still have a few days left in Israel, but I am already starting to worry about the\u00a0PID<\/a>. Thankfully yesterday I received an invitation for a wedding, so I must come back pretty soon.<\/p>\n

As always I feel recharged. Why I am doing this thing for Israel, that many people feel a bit absurd, comes clear to me every time I visit the Holy Land.
\nIt has nothing to do with religion or belief.
\nIt\u2019s simply about doing the right thing.
\nFollowing my heart.<\/p>\n

Swedish Jews are escaping antisemitism. Some of them settle in Israel.
\nBut they will still be targeted by the state they escaped.
\nIt makes me want to vomit.<\/p>\n

By the way, before coming to Israel I made another clip in \u201cHebrew\u201d.Click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, augusti 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Swedish sunshine and Israeli flags<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday June 2nd we held our second pro-Israel rally in Stockholm.
\nLast time, in\u00a0December 2012<\/a>, we gathered outside the hooligan tabloid Aftonbladet. (The crappy \u201cnewspaper\u201d\u00a0with this headline<\/a>\u00a0after the latest Israeli elections: \u201cIsrael votes for more violence.\u201d Just as an example.)\u00a0It was -16 degrees but the crowd was happy and the warm hearts were beating with pure love for Israel.<\/p>\n

This time we gathered at Raoul Wallenberg\u2019s square. The sun was shining, the Israeli music was loud and the beautiful Israeli flags were all over the place.<\/p>\n

What a wonderful afternoon!
\nA great thing about these rallies is that they attract a very diverse crowd. There are the Jews and the very religious Christians, and the gays and the liberals and\u2026 So on.<\/p>\n

We had some great speakers:
\n\u2022 Hel\u00e9ne L\u00f6\u00f6w, PhD, and one of a few historians that has researched anti-Semitism in Sweden.
\n\u2022 Saskia Pantell, Vice Chairman of Sionistiska Federationen (Zionit).
\n\u2022 Nicky Larkin, artist and filmmaker (Forty Shades of Grey).
\n\u2022 Siewert \u00d6holm, journalist, TV-producer and TV-host.
\n\u2022 Ulf Cahn, Secretary General of F\u00f6renade Israelinsamlingen\/Keren Hayesod.<\/p>\n

The speeches can be found\u00a0here<\/a>, in Swedish.<\/p>\n

Yes, these rallies are a lot about preaching to the choir, but it boosts us all and makes us even more motivated and energetic about standing up for Israel.<\/p>\n

A lot of pictures can be found on my website:\u00a0Israelism.se<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A couple of days before our rally I made another video, in \u201cHebrew\u201d.
\nYou can watch it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The rally, for Israel and against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, was organized by Anna Berg, Hanna Zion, Amnon Lee Israeli and Kim Milrell(israelism.se)<\/a>.
\nThank you to WZO, and a special thanks to Saskia Pantell, Sionistiska Federationen (Zionit).<\/p>\n

What else is new?
\nWell, six weeks have passed since my recent trip to Israel and I am desperately trying to find a way to come back. Soon!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, juni 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Doctor\u2019s Orders<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a previous post I wrote about my suffering from\u00a0PID \u2013 Post Israel Depression<\/a>, and \u2018unfortunately\u2019 I now \u2013 almost two months later \u2013 must say that I am still suffering.<\/p>\n

In fact I get \u2018sicker\u2019 every day.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just about the weather. Although that would be understandable considering it\u2019s -8\u00b0 C in Stockholm and +35\u00b0 C in my beloved Israel.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about so much more.<\/p>\n

The warmth of the people for instance.<\/p>\n

Israelis often complain about themselves being pushy and loud but I\u2019ve never experienced the pushy part.\u00a0Maybe that day will come but I am not afraid since I like a little bit of\u00a0heat<\/strong>!\u00a0At least you know that everyone\u2019s actually living and not just being alive!<\/p>\n

And I must say I love the loudness (being a quiet little Scandinavian myself).<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the energy. Not just the urban energy of Tel Aviv, but as soon as one sets foot in Ben Gurion Airport one can feel it.
\nA\u00a0different<\/strong>\u00a0kind of energy which is impossible to describe in words.
\nI guess for most Jews it\u2019s a Jewish thing, but I\u2019m not Jewish (yet) although my heart clearly is.<\/p>\n

And of course there\u2019s the food! The hummus, the falafel, the sallads! How can the sallads taste so\u2026 hmm\u2026 much? And so fresh?<\/p>\n

And then there is the language!<\/em><\/p>\n

I love Hebrew and I know quite a lot of words (and sleazy song titels as I love those Hebrew ballads\u2026)
\nAnd do you know how sexy the language is?
\nOh dear, oh dear.<\/em><\/p>\n

But the best part is the feeling of being amongst friends.
\nTo be able to wear a Magen David without being scared.
\n(I bought my first one five years ago and I never took it off. It\u2019s a part of me and my Jewish heart.)<\/p>\n

So here I am, still suffering, trying to work but finding myself time and time again staring at that map behind me.<\/p>\n

My project\u00a0LettersFromIsrael.com<\/a>\u00a0gets a lot of hits every day, although I haven\u2019t been able to update it for quite some time, so please \u2013 Israelis \u2013 help me fight ignorance! Write your own letter from Israel and send it to me. (Info\u00a0here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

My latest project\u00a0Israelism.se<\/a>\u00a0is also doing well. Bilingual and all. Why not take part in my \u2018pictures project\u2019? Send images from your city or town or village or street, just like\u00a0Yehonatan Levi did<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile I\u2019ll continue\u00a0being sick<\/del>\u00a0planning my comeback.
\n(Doctor\u2019s orders!)<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, mars 2013<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

A pro-Israel blogger has no time off in this country<\/strong><\/p>\n

A pro-Israel blogger has no time off in this country.
\nAnd the country in question is Sweden.
\nThe lunatics are everywhere.
\nThey\u2019re not evil though, they\u2019re just fed by the Israel-trashing hooligan media.
\nFor decades the public has absorbed the lies and the propaganda, so how could they know anything else?<\/p>\n

When a friend posted a Holocaust related picture on Facebook, on Holocaust Memorial Day, one of these lunatics immediately scribbled down: \u201cI feel sorry for the Jews, but what is even worse is that the Jews(!) are now doing the same thing to the Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, we\u2019ve heard it before.
\nAnd that\u2019s the problem. When a lie is repeated often enough it becomes the truth and so on\u2026
\nVery depressing.<\/p>\n

A few days earlier (also on Facebook) a friend\u2019s friend was moaning about \u201cparking spots only for Jews\u201d in Israel. So this is what far too many people believe is the State of Israel.
\nVery troubling and extremely disturbing.<\/p>\n

I guess the only way to wake these lunatics up is to bring them to Israel, so that they can see The Real Israel with their own eyes. Once and for all.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile I\u2019m blogging away and I just launched my new (bilingual) website:\u00a0Israelism.se<\/a>.
\nWhy not read my interview with Kasim Kaz Hafeez \u2013 the British Muslim who also believed all these lies and then travelled to Israel and changed his mind.<\/p>\n

In English:\u00a0How a British Muslim changed his mind on Israel<\/a>
\nIn Swedish:\u00a0Hur en brittisk muslim \u00e4ndrade sig g\u00e4llande Israel<\/a><\/p>\n

And Shalom Israel: I need more \u2018letters\u2019 for my\u00a0Letters From Israel<\/a>project. Please help me fight ignorance \u2013 write your own little \u2018letter\u2019. (Info\u00a0here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Also I am thinking of publishing \u2013 on\u00a0Israelism.se<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 photos and videos of Israelis capturing their hometown.
\nSo if you would like to take some pics of your city\/village, please do, and send them to me. (Contact me\u00a0here<\/a>.)
\nVideos would be great also!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, februari 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

PID (Post Israel Depression)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Toda raba, Israel for yet another great week.
\nMy sixth visit and this romance is not cooling down. On the contrary it just keeps getting hotter, so I guess it must be real love.
\nI admit I\u2019ve been in love before. Not with countries but rather with cities; Madrid (I was very young) was followed by London and who has never had a little fling with Berlin?
\nBut with Israel it\u2019s different. It\u2019s real and probably it will last until one of us dies. And I hope I will die before Israel (if you know what I mean) \u2013 that\u2019s how real my love is.<\/p>\n

And Tel Aviv, my dirty little bitch, oh, how I adore you.
\nI know, I know, people keep telling me that Tel Aviv is not the \u201creal\u201d Israel. And yes, after having travelled to many places in the country I understand that Tel Aviv is different. And I like this kind of \u201cdifferent\u201d.
\nIf I would be a city I would be Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never experienced the Tel Aviv energy anywhere else. Nor the atmosphere, which is outstanding.
\nTel Aviv to me is inviting, exciting, seducing and tolerant.<\/p>\n

Just the way I like it.<\/p>\n

On this sixth trip I also visited Haifa for the very first time. Getting off the train and seeing the beauty of Lady Haifa in front of me amazed me. Wow!
\nWhat a beautiful city. And such great food!
\nBut wherever I\u2019ve been in Israel, when returning to Tel Aviv I feel in heart and soul that I am coming back home.<\/p>\n

Every time I visit Israel I meet many, many wonderful people and this time was no exception. Old friends and new ones shared their personal stories and thoughts on the country. The conversations were many, versatile and truly interesting. Thanks to you all!<\/p>\n

Then, coming back to Sweden (never mind the weather: -10\u00b0 C) it hits me. The PID (Post-Israel Depression). It\u2019s nothing I made up myself \u2013 many of my friends, who share this love for Israel, know exactly what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n

Symptoms include: apathy, listening exclusively to Hebrew music (often the saddest of songs), watching Israeli movies (sad ones, that make you cry a LOT) and later on also anger and despair. And boredom.
\nThankfully I have an understanding significant other: \u201cNo wonder you feel depressed. You just came back from Israel a couple of days ago and you feel that you belong there. It\u2019s a natural reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

One moment I was sitting under the Israeli sun, sipping on a Goldstar and talking to intelligent Israelis. You know, the people who in Swedish media are portrayed as nothing short of monsters.
\nAnd all of a sudden I am back in Sweden where, the day after the elections, a headline in the biggest tabloid reads: \u201cIsrael voted for more violence\u201d.<\/p>\n

Just so you know what a pro-Israel blogger is up against in this country\u2026 (A LOT of work!)<\/p>\n

When I suffer from PID I remember all the great moments I experienced in Israel. Like when those two happy guys recognised me and said \u201ctoda raba\u201d for \u201cwhat I do\u201d. Or when the day before I packed my bags and left, a man stopped me on the street. He asked me if I am who I am and then he said:<\/p>\n

\u201dI appreciate your work very much.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That sentence will save me many times in the future.<\/p>\n

OK, I am now going to continue my suffering.
\nI\u2019ll listen to Shiri Maimon or Nathan Goshen and sob a little.<\/p>\n

I love you, Israel.
\n(And of course I\u2019m already planning my comeback!)<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, januari 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Greetings from Sweden (please get me out of here)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sweden has turned into a country where one apparently can say just about anything about Israel and\/or the Jews \u2013 and get away with it.<\/p>\n

Considering the growing antisemitism in this country one should pay close attention to any antisemitic slurs.<\/p>\n

Let me present to you the Palestinian-Swedish TV personality Gina Dirawi \u2013 a very charming young woman, popular amongst the younger generations \u2013 famous for hosting this year\u2019s Melodifestivalen \u2013 the Swedish selections for the Eurovision Song Contest and undoubtedly the biggest television happening of the year.<\/p>\n

Miss Dirawi has over the years caused some commotion by comparing Israel to Hitler. This has been excused by Dirawi being \u201cyoung and inexperienced\u201d.
\nShe also once wrote (on her blog) about turning the Holocaust Memorial Day into a \u2018Memorial Day For Everyone\u2019. \u201cFor all those Palestinians killed by Zionists in Israel.\u201d
\nJust saying.<\/p>\n

Although working for Sveriges Television \u2013 the Swedish public service television company \u2013 (SVT) (not exactly known for their unbiased reporting) this did not stop SVT from handing the highly prestigious Melodifestivalen hostess job to Dirawi, who later appeared with a very forced feeling apology making everything \u201dfine\u201d again.<\/p>\n

A short time ago it was announced that Dirawi will host the show also next year. One might think that a year would have made Miss Dirawi less \u201cyoung and inexperienced\u201d but last week the popular television star yet again put herself in the eye of the storm, by publishing a picture on her blog; a picture of a book she is reading and apparently wants to promote: \u00c4r v\u00e4rlden upp och ner? (Is the world upside down?) written by Lasse Wilhelmson. As you may not know this famous anti-semite, let me tell you that it might as well have been \u201cMein Kampf\u201d in the hands of Dirawi. Apparently this is what the young lady wants her fans to read. And apparently this is okey by SVT.<\/p>\n

SVT (yet again) had a little \u2018chat\u2019 with Gina Dirawi and she is now \u2018cleared\u2019.<\/p>\n

The \u2018clueless\u2019 girl has since deleted her post\u00a0and offered an apology, saying she \u201ddidn\u2019t know who the writer was\u201d.<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t is nice to hide behind one\u2019s stupidity and time and time again get away with it?<\/p>\n

More about what\u2019s going on in this country. Last week on the debate program \u201dDebatt\u201d (SVT yet again) the debate was about Pillar of Defense. Mr. Pierre Schori\u00a0was defending Hamas, calling for the \u201drevoking of the ridiculous terrorist stamp\u201d.<\/p>\n

Okey, that was stupid.<\/p>\n

But when I heard the Ship to Gaza activist Victoria Strand comparing Hamas to Nelson Mandela I had to turn off the television.<\/p>\n

This is what\u2019s going on in Sweden.
\nAnd I didn\u2019t even tell you about Hillevi Larsson \u2013 the Social democrat who, during Pillar of Defense, accused Israel of \u201cmass murder on civilians\u201d.
\n<\/a>Nor did I tell you about Adrian Kaba (another Social democrat).<\/p>\n

To end this post on a positive note I\u2019d like to say that next week there will be a rally\/manifestation in Stockholm\u00a0\u2013 for Israel and against media bias \u2013\u00a0outside the offices of the clearly antisemitic tabloid Aftonbladet.<\/p>\n

And yes, I already booked my next ticket to Israel (see you in January!).
\nBeing a pro-Israel blogger in Sweden is exhausting, you see.
\nOne has to get away!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, november 2012.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

They just don\u2019t care<\/strong><\/p>\n

What at a horrible weekend it was.
\nAnd what a horrible sleepless night I had.
\nAnd I wasn\u2019t even sitting in a bomb shelter!<\/p>\n

On the contrary, far away from the terror, in (for now) safe Sweden I was tossing and turning in my bed.
\nThe frustration I felt was out of this world.
\nAnd Monday morning, on my way to the office, I felt the frustration grow bigger and bigger. I saw my countrymen reading the morning papers and I wanted to slap some sense into them.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night I was following the endelss rocket attacks from Gaza.
\nOf course not from any Swedish news outlets, nor the CNN or the BBC.
\nOne must love Twitter and the Israeli news sites!<\/p>\n

When a country is bombarded with rockets and the world just don\u2019t seem to care. What\u2019s up with that?
\nI try to spread the information but no one seems to care (except the ones who are already \u2018enlightened\u2019).<\/p>\n

On Saturday night my countrymen were busy watching entertainment on television. A few cocktails and a quick shag later they fell asleep and on Sunday morning they saw The Headline.
\nAlways the same story:\u00a0\u201cIsraeli Attack Kills XX Palestinians.\u201d And yes, yesterday this headline was yet again found in every Swedish newspaper.<\/p>\n

The media ignores the rocket attacks and how can the public know what is happening in Israel if no one tells them?<\/p>\n

Then why do I care so much? I mean, it affects my sleep, for crying out loud!
\nThe real question is: why do\u00a0they<\/em>\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0care?<\/p>\n

I have had this frustration inside of me since I got \u2018enlightened\u2019 some five years ago and I can only imagine how frustrated the Israelis must be by now.<\/p>\n

When I, as a kid, was learning about the Holocaust, there was always just one word lingering in my head: why?
\nI never found the answer.
\nAnd now, many years later, as I see Israel being treated this way and no one seems to care, I again have the same word stuck in my head: why?<\/p>\n

To end this post on a positive note I must say that however crazy the world is, more and more people are waking up. There are\u00a0online-demonstrations and whatnot, and every day a new \u2018enlightened\u2019 blogger seems to pop up from nowhere.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s not give up just yet.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, november 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

A rally FOR Israel and AGAINST nothing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yesterday could have been just another grey and boring Sunday, but it turned out to be quite the opposite, thanks to the pro-Israel rally that took place at Sergels torg in the very center of Stockholm.<\/p>\n

The square in the Swedish capital lit up with hundreds of waving Israeli flags and Israeli music filled the air as somewhere between 700 and 1,200 friends of Israel gathered.<\/p>\n

A local\u00a0Jewish blogger organized the event and kicked it off by holding a speech (although she was in tears a few times). A few speeches followed, made by wonderful people fighting for a more balanced image of Israel in Sweden, as well as by a couple of (liberal) politicians.<\/p>\n

Of course, far away \u2013 held back by the police \u2013 were a few anti-Israel hooligans, waving Palestinian and communist (!) flags. \u201cGo to hell\u201d, they shouted. So much for dialogue\u2026<\/p>\n

It\u2019s ironic that this rally \u2013 which was\u00a0for<\/strong>\u00a0Israel and\u00a0against<\/strong>\u00a0nothing \u2013 was met by\u00a0counter-demonstrators who seemed to be\u00a0against<\/strong>\u00a0Israel more than they were\u00a0for<\/strong>\u00a0anything.<\/p>\n

The event ended with us all singing Hatikvah. I saw tears in people\u2019s eyes and no, I couldn\u2019t help myself as I sobbed away.<\/p>\n

Mainstream media has (not surprisingly) completely ignored this rally in the same way as they have ignored the rockets fired at Israel during the last few days. Oy vey! They should be ashamed of themselves.<\/p>\n

Before signing off I must express my happiness!
\nThe day is soon here! On Sunday I will finally be back in Israel.<\/p>\n

So see you around!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, september 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Taking your kippah out of the closet<\/strong><\/p>\n

You may have heard about last week\u2019s \u201ckippah walk\u201d\u00a0in Malm\u00f6 \u2014 the third largest city in Sweden.<\/p>\n

If you google \u201cMalm\u00f6 + anti-Semitism\u201d you will get a lot of hits, so I will not get into all of that.<\/p>\n

But! We had a \u201ckippah walk\u201d in the capital too!<\/p>\n

Yes, we were about 100 people walking through the city center wearing kippahs and Jewish symbols.<\/p>\n

I thought to myself: do we really need to do this? It is insane. It really IS insane. Jews (and friends of Jews) are \u2014 in a free, democratic European country \u2014 forced to walk in kippah parades!<\/p>\n

It all felt a bit like a gay pride parade in the \u201990s (as a gay man I know what I\u2019m talking about).<\/p>\n

It is oh so sad that a \u201ckippah walk\u201d is needed but one has to do what one has to do.<\/p>\n

I \u2014 as a friend of Judaism and Israel \u2014 always feel a little bit high after these happenings.<\/p>\n

This was just an ap\u00e9ritif though, because next week there will be a (hopefully) huge pro-Israel manifestation in the center of Stockholm, and also one in the second largest city of Sweden: Gothenburg.<\/p>\n

I love it, because it is a manifestation\u00a0for<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Israel and against nothing. That\u2019s the way I like it.<\/p>\n

I will be there (in Stockholm) and I will let you know all about it.<\/p>\n

Ah, I love Israel and I can\u2019t wait to visit your wonderful country again.
\nOnly 15 days to go!<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, augusti 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Spotting Menorahs<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my first post I spoke about how I found \u2013 and fell in love with \u2013 Israel.
\nNow it\u2019s time to get just a little bit spiritual and talk about how I discovered Judaism.<\/p>\n

Back in the days when I made my first Israeli (and Jewish) friends, I realized I knew basically nothing about Judaism.\u00a0I actually don\u2019t remember reading or learning anything about Judaism in school.<\/p>\n

So I wanted to know more!<\/p>\n

I began my journey by reading a lot of books. (\u201cJudaism for dummies\u201d was not bad at all and later made me get a copy of \u201cHebrew for dummies.\u201d)\u00a0I learned a lot from my newfound Jewish friends and I visited the synagogue.<\/p>\n

The more I learned about Judaism \u2013 the more it appealed to me.
\nI guess what I like the most is that you can be very Jewish without being religious. And you\u2019ll still know all about the traditions and the holidays, which is very different from where I come from. Secular people celebrate but probably do not know too much of why or what they are actually celebrating.<\/p>\n

When I paid my first visit to Israel my love for anything Jewish grew.<\/p>\n

Later on, when I was back in Sweden after my second trip to the Holy Land I suffered from a post-Israel depression and it actually stuck with me until I started planning my third trip. This was in 2010 and a couple of weeks before my flight, the Icelandic volcano drama took place. Flights were cancelled all over Europe and I was afraid that the trip, which was the only thing that had kept me going the past few months, was going to get cancelled too.<\/p>\n

However, one day as I was out walking my dog I saw a huge menorah in a window.<\/p>\n

It probably sounds silly but as I had never before seen a menorah anywhere in Sweden, to me this was a sign.<\/p>\n

I felt a calmness come over me; it all felt a bit religious, to be honest. I kept on walking and started to doubt myself. Was it really a menorah I had seen? Later on during the same walk I saw another menorah in another window. And this time there was no doubt about it (I have the exact same menorah at home). I almost started to cry and I stopped worrying about the Icelandic volcano (and yes, I made it to Israel!).<\/p>\n

I kept on seeing menorahs regularly and then it suddenly stopped. (I wrote about these occasions on my Swedish blog.<\/p>\n

Early 2012 it was time to yet again spot a menorah. I was about to write an article and I was unsure of myself and I was afraid of messing it all up. I decided to go for a long walk with my dog and on our way back home\u2026 I again saw a menorah in a window. It filled me with strength and courage and I walked straight back home and wrote the article and yes, it went on to become a huge success.<\/p>\n

So this is how Judaism came to me. Very cliche\u00a0but very true.
\nAnd yes, my home is filled with both menorahs and Israeli flags.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, augusti 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

A little \u2018regime\u2019 here and a little \u2018apartheid\u2019 there<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just like last time I had a happier post in mind, it will have to wait because I\u2019m furious (again).<\/p>\n

The Israeli documentary \u201cMom and dad, I Have Something to Tell You\u201d\u00a0(by Assi Azar) was supposed to be screened next week during Stockholm Pride. As it turns out it has now been canceled due to leftist threats.<\/p>\n

This is the new Sweden that I live in \u2013 the hate toward Israel comes from every imaginable angle. How sad is it that an Israeli gay documentary cannot be screened during a gay pride festival, just because it was made by an Israeli? It\u2019s a shame, a disaster and\u2026 well, it\u2019s a joke that the hate toward Israel is stronger than the love for what pride is supposed to be all about.<\/p>\n

No pride for me then \u2013 the documentary was all I wanted to see during this year\u2019s festival (and my party days are long gone anyway).<\/p>\n

What else has made me upset recently? Well, for instance I was watching the news on SVT (the national television broadcaster)\u00a0last Friday, and on a news segment Israel was called a \u201cregime\u201d. Yes, a regime \u00a0\u2013 the word usually used when talking about a\u00a0dictatorship. A lot of letters were sent to the broadcaster but they probably won\u2019t reply \u2013 at least they never did before (at least not to me).<\/p>\n

In these subtle ways the media has been brainwashing the Swedish public for decades. A little \u201cregime\u201d here and a little \u201capartheid\u201d there. Meanwhile not only ignoring any Palestinian drama towards Israel, but actually glorifying the Palestinians.
\nNo wonder people are confused.<\/p>\n

Well, next time I will write a happier post! And maybe a bit spiritual.
\nI\u2019ll tell you about when I went through a \u201cdifficult time\u201d and started seeing Menorahs everywhere\u2026<\/p>\n

I was actually asked by the Israeli tourist bureau to blog for\/about them during\/from Stockholm Pride, but the bureau did not get the permission to participate in the festival. I guess we shouldn\u2019t be surprised.<\/em><\/p>\n

Update<\/strong>: (After a very intense day on Facebook, Twitter and various blogs) It looks like the screening of the documentary will take place after all. (If so, I will go there and I will let you know all about it.)<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, juli\u00a02012<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Standing with Israel is not an easy thing to do<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my previous post I wrote about how badly the Swedish media reports about anything that has to do with Israel.
\nIsrael is always the bad guy and all the great things that come out of your country hardly gets any attention at all.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know why this is and I don\u2019t know when it started, but I do know that years ago it was nothing like it is today, because these days Israel has become a profanity.
\nThe media is generally very left-wing and for some reason they have decided to collectively bash Israel.
\nThe situation in Gaza gives them more fuel and of course they never pay any attention whatsoever to all the trucks \u2013 loaded with food and whatnot \u2013 \u00a0entering the Gaza strip from Israel, or all the Gazans coming to Israeli hospitals. They have decided that Gaza is a huge outdoor prison and the Israelis (not the IDF, but actually the\u00a0Israelis<\/em>) are treating the Gazans like caged animals. (For the fun of it, of course!)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile another Ship To Gaza provocation is on its way from Sweden, something that on Swedish television has been called a \u201cfolkfest\u201d (festival). (Really!) In an effort to show people that we are not all part of this \u201cfolkfest\u201d, a few friends and I decided to organize a little Pro-Israel rally last week when the ship was passing Stockholm on its way from northern Sweden all the way to the Gaza strip.
\nWe didn\u2019t get much attention, apart from a few youngsters screaming something about \u201cPalestine\u201d, but deep down inside I believe that more and more Swedes are starting to see the whole Israel\/Palestine situation in another way. Much to blogs, Twitter and the Internet in general.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, juli 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

How I fell in love with Israel<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some five years ago my life changed for good. There goes a very distinct line, forever dividing my life into a \u201cbefore and after.\u201d What happened to me was Israel.<\/p>\n

I must admit I had always had a special \u201cfeeling\u201d for the country \u2014 ever since I was a child. To be honest it probably had something to do with the Eurovision Song Contest \u2013 I always loved the Israeli entries\u2026<\/p>\n

In 2007, however, I made my first Israeli friends. I got to know them online, and as they were big friends of Sweden and Scandinavia, and had visited the Nordic countries several times, I was a little embarrassed to admit that I didn\u2019t know much about Israel or Judaism. So I began educating myself.<\/p>\n

The more I learned, the more I wanted to find out \u2014 and the more it all appealed to me. I got this \u201chomey\u201d feeling inside of me, and I guess that as a Swedish Finn, I always felt a little left out; I was too Finnish in Sweden and too Swedish in Finland (although in my book, there is little difference between the two). This situation has changed drastically in the past couple of decades, as the world has gotten smaller. But as a child, I never felt I belonged anywhere, and the feeling stuck with me through the years.<\/p>\n

And then came Israel.<\/p>\n

The following year, after my newfound Israeli friends visited me in Stockholm, I decided to take the trip that changed everything.
\nAs I stepped out of the airplane and met the Middle Eastern sun, that September day in 2008, my entire soul was filled with a feeling of belonging. I know it sounds corny, but it was such an amazing experience! There I came, as a non-Jew, to a country with which I had no real connection, and suddenly I felt I was finally home. As I saw the many Israeli flags waving in the wind, and on my way from Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv, I couldn\u2019t keep my eyes from tearing up. From that day on, the Israeli flag has been \u201cmy\u201d flag.<\/p>\n

Ever since that first trip, I have been back to Israel every year, and the feeling of belonging has never stopped. Israel is the only place where I always feel completely accepted, respected and, well, loved.<\/p>\n

Three months after my first visit, Operation Cast Lead took place. By this time I had started reading Israeli news sites, and I had noticed that the Swedish media (almost) never reported about the ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza. This troubled me, and when I saw that Israel was being accused of, more or less, bombing Gaza for the fun of it, my own private blog started to turn into the pro-Israel blog it is today.<\/p>\n

The hate that came my way, from my many ignorant countrymen who were commenting on my blog, shocked me \u2014 and in the past years it has only gotten worse. You are more or less expected to hate Israel, and if you don\u2019t, well, then apparently you\u2019re doomed.<\/p>\n

A question that often comes up is \u201cWhy do you hate the Palestinians?\u201d
\nIt is as if you must hate someone to love another \u2014 a way of thinking I never quite understood.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been blogging non stop about Israel for the past four years, hoping that I can make people see a fuller picture. It hasn\u2019t been easy, as most people have a very (un)clear picture of Israel (and the conflict \u2013 it sometimes seems that without the conflict, there is no Israel, since the ongoing drama is all people in general know anything about).<\/p>\n

Earlier this year I wrote an op-ed on Ynet entitled A love letter to Israelis, and the impact took me by surprise. I received hundreds of e-mails \u2014 from both Israelis and friends of the Jewish State from all over the world (and a few not-so-nice ones, not surprisingly written in Swedish). As I was reading these wonderful emails from people, telling me about their thoughts on their homeland and their everyday lives, I thought to myself that everyone should have the opportunity to partake of these stories from ordinary Israelis. That is how I came up with the idea for my latest project: Letters from Israel. If you have a minute or two, please consider writing a \u201cletter\u201d for me to publish on my site. Anything goes: political, personal; perhaps even a poem. All the info can be found here.<\/p>\n

I will continue this little fight of mine \u2013 spreading another picture of the country I love so much \u2013 on my Swedish blog, but I will update this new blog on The Times of Israel regularly, to let you know what is going on in Sweden and how your country is being portrayed here.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 The Times of Israel, juli 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

A love letter to Israelis
\n<\/strong>
\nOp-ed: Pro-Israel blogger tries to counter Sweden\u2019s new national sport \u2013 bashing Jewish state<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever I visit Israel, people ask me: \u201cWhy do Swedes hate us so much?\u201d
\nLet me take this opportunity to try to explain a thing or two.<\/p>\n

In Sweden, where people know basically nothing about Israel, they seem to believe they know everything. The little they really do know they get from the media, and let me tell you that it\u2019s not a pretty picture being painted there.<\/p>\n

The way the Swedish media cover Israel is as depressing as the conflict between Israel and the Arabs itself. In fact, I wonder if I\u2019ve ever read an article, in any way related to your country, that didn\u2019t bring up the problems in the region. It\u2019s as if Israel does not exist without the Palestinians or the conflict.<\/p>\n

In Sweden, Israel can never win. Whatever the story may be, the media always find a way to turn things around and in the end, in one way or another, they manage to blame Israel.<\/p>\n

The never-ending rocket attacks from Gaza are for some reason always kept in the dark. That is, until Israel strikes back. That is when we get the twisted headlines, such as \u201dIsrael\u2019s airstrikes on Gaza\u201d and, if we\u2019re lucky, we might find a line or two briefly mentioning the terrorists in the Gaza strip somewhere at the very end of the articles.<\/p>\n

Whenever a major terrorist attack takes place we do get the reports and we see the pictures, but the everyday suffering of Israelis and of the children in bomb shelters are yet to be portrayed in Sweden\u2019s newspapers.<\/p>\n

Reading any news related to Israel, the writer always grasps the opportunity to trash the Jewish state. For instance, while reading an article in a Swedish animal rights group\u2019s newsletter, about the great improvement of animal rights in Israel, the writer also noted that while Israel is not known for its engagement for human rights, at least the animals are treated well. Needless to say, the article was most likely written by someone who never visited your country, someone who just read the headlines for years \u2013 in other words, the average Swede.<\/p>\n

Decades of propaganda<\/strong>
\nSwedish mainstream media very rarely features reports about science, technology or anything great that comes out of Israel, and the Swedes are often eager to boycott Israeli fruit (for some reason the fruit is a very sore spot). Yet they are of course happy to use Israeli computer software, communications technology and medical equipment\u2026 They probably didn\u2019t even know they were supporting Israel when purchasing these things, because nobody let them know they were Israeli.<\/p>\n

Slamming and bashing Israel may be the new national sport in Sweden, at least in the media, but I still don\u2019t believe that Swedes in general hate Israelis, Jews or the Jewish state \u2013 I believe that they simply do not know better. And how can they know if no one tells them?<\/p>\n

That is why I am a pro-Israel blogger, and trust me: it\u2019s not easy. In fact, it\u2019s almost a full-time job. Thankfully every year another blogger, tired of the endless twists and turns in the media, seems to pop up, willing to spread another picture of the Jewish state.<\/p>\n

Nothing upsets the average Swede more than talking about Israel in a positive way \u2013 decades of anti-Israel propaganda has slowly brainwashed the Swedish people.<\/p>\n

I am doing all I can to wake my countrymen up from the horrible nightmare that is torturing them. It is my strong belief that one day they will thank me for not being a silent observer.<\/p>\n

Until then, please don\u2019t judge them too harshly.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 Ynet News, mars 2012<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Dagen efter<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sa\u030a var paraden avklarad och snart a\u0308r Pride slut fo\u0308r denna ga\u030ang. Varje a\u030ar ha\u0308nger det pa\u030a en mycket sko\u0308r tra\u030ad om jag o\u0308verhuvudtaget ska delta i paraden eller ej (av ren lathet, tre dagars festande ta\u0308r pa\u030a en trettioa\u030arings kropp).<\/p>\n

I sista stund a\u0308ndrar jag mig alltid och varje ga\u030ang a\u0308r jag lika glad o\u0308ver att jag tog mitt fo\u0308rnuft till fa\u030anga.<\/p>\n

Oftast na\u0308r jag fra\u030agar om anledningen till att na\u030agon inte ga\u030ar i paraden fa\u030ar jag ho\u0308ra att personen i fra\u030aga inte vill bli representerad av ett ta\u030ag som ser ut som en cirkus.
\nDa\u030a a\u0308r det va\u0308l ba\u0308st att komma dit och representera sig sja\u0308lv da\u030a!<\/p>\n

Jag o\u0308nskar att alla ma\u0308nniskor skulle fa\u030a uppleva ka\u0308nslan man fa\u030ar na\u0308r man ga\u030ar la\u0308ngs gatorna, kantade av alla ta\u0308nkbara slags ma\u0308nniskor.<\/p>\n

Ha\u0308roma\u030aret fick jag a\u0308ran att bevittna ett (mycket) a\u0308ldre heteropar sittande pa\u030a sina rullatorer, frenetiskt appla\u030aderande, och det var fantastiskt att se. Inte ens regnet sa\u0308nkte humo\u0308ret hos vare sig deltagare eller a\u030aska\u030adare iga\u030ar, utan Hornsgatan fo\u0308rvandlades pa\u030a ett o\u0308gonblick till ett hav av paraplyer. Synd bara att de inte var regnba\u030agsfa\u0308rgade.<\/p>\n

Sto\u0308rst appla\u030ader fick som vanligt de underbara ma\u0308nniskorna som gick bakom plakatet \u201dStolta fo\u0308ra\u0308ldrar till homosexuella barn\u201d. Jag blir lika lycklig i hja\u0308rtat varje ga\u030ang jag ser dem och jag o\u0308nskar sa\u030a att de vore ma\u030anga, ma\u030anga fler! Hur kan man inte vara stolt o\u0308ver sitt barn? Hur kan man inte fo\u0308rsta\u030a att man a\u0308r som man a\u0308r och att det inte a\u0308r na\u030agot man vare sig kan eller bo\u0308r fo\u0308rso\u0308ka a\u0308ndra pa\u030a? Hur kan man inte ta till sig att alltsammans handlar om ka\u0308rlek?<\/p>\n

Iga\u030ar samlades ett ga\u0308ng insno\u0308ade nazister vid Odenplan fo\u0308r en antihomodemonstration och i dagens DN kan vi la\u0308sa vad en av deltagarna, Emelie fra\u030an Uppsala, har att sa\u0308ga om saken: \u201dDet a\u0308r fel att de ska ha\u030alla pa\u030a och pussas o\u0308ppet framfo\u0308r vanligt folk.\u201d
\nDet a\u0308r sa\u030a la\u0308tt att glo\u0308mma att det finns unga ma\u0308nniskor mitt ibland oss som kan kla\u0308cka ur sig sa\u030adana idiotiska uttalanden.
\n\u201dDen sortens ka\u0308rlek a\u0308r fel\u201d, sa\u0308ger Emelie vidare \u201ddet a\u0308r inte meningen att det ska vara tjejer med tjejer och killar med killar. Men ju mer de visar upp sig, ju mer anha\u0308ngare fa\u030ar de. Och da\u030a blir det fler som tycker det a\u0308r okej att vara sa\u030a\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jag blir mo\u0308rkra\u0308dd. Ingen Emelie fra\u030an Uppsala ska komma och uttala sig om min ka\u0308rlek fo\u0308r den vet hon absolut ingenting om.<\/p>\n

Sa\u030a la\u0308nge jag riskerar att bli nedslagen pa\u030a grund av att jag a\u0308r tillsammans med en person av samma ko\u0308n ta\u0308nker jag ga\u030a da\u0308r och trampa i den da\u0308r paraden.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 Stockholm Prides hemsida, augusti 2005.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

A\u030a, Dolly!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Efter fredagens Dolly Parton-hyllning sta\u0308ller jag mig fra\u030agan varfo\u0308r jag inte har na\u030agra Dolly-skivor i min annars sa\u030a genero\u0308sa samling. Ma\u030aste genast kolla efter en samlingsskiva.
\nHon a\u0308r ju sa\u030a stra\u030alande pa\u030a alla sa\u0308tt och har skrivit sa\u030a ma\u030anga fantastiska la\u030atar!
\nJag tror besta\u0308mt att de flesta av oss har en liten Dolly inom oss och va\u0308rlden vore ba\u030ade roligare och\u00a0smartare om vi bara tilla\u0308t oss att plocka fram henne lite oftare.<\/p>\n

Nina Persson, som jag insett a\u0308r den skandinaviska coolheten personifierad, bo\u0308rjade med att la\u0308sa upp ett fax fra\u030an Dolly herself och temperaturen steg snabbt i parken. Och ta\u0308nk om hon faktiskt skulle komma na\u0308sta a\u030ar, som det ryktas om i tidningarna, det skulle ju toppa det mesta.<\/p>\n

Fredagen pa\u030a Pride brukar ka\u0308nnas som na\u030agot slags mellandag och sa\u030a var a\u0308ven i a\u030ar. Man har inte riktigt hunnit a\u030aterha\u0308mta sig fra\u030an torsdagen och sparar sig ga\u0308rna till lo\u0308rdagens avslutningsfest sa\u030a det blir att man ga\u030ar pa\u030a sparla\u030aga.<\/p>\n

Det var ma\u030anga bra artister pa\u030a scen under kva\u0308llen, men de flesta oka\u0308nda fo\u0308r den stora massan. Fo\u0308rra a\u030arets miss Pride, Marko, levde ut sina dro\u0308mmar och skakade loss till Carolas \u201dGenom allt\u201d. Na\u0308rmare Carola la\u0308r vi ju dessva\u0308rre aldrig komma (men vi har ju Dolly). Laleh, som jag antar a\u0308r en flatfavorit, fick iga\u030ang massan med sin underbara \u201dInvisible\u201d. I o\u0308vrigt hade jag ga\u0308rna blivit lite mer o\u0308verraskad, men jag fick i a\u030atminstone min dagliga dos Pay TV, om a\u0308n i na\u030agot omsto\u0308pt form.<\/p>\n

Ho\u0308jdpunkten var sa\u030a klart Robyn. Vi vill ho\u0308ra mer av Robyn pa\u030a Pride! Vi vill ho\u0308ra hennes egna la\u030atar ocksa\u030a! Na\u0308r denna Stja\u0308rna sjo\u0308ng de fo\u0308rsta tonerna av \u201dI will always love you\u201d var min kva\u0308ll komplett.<\/p>\n

Bara pa\u030a Pride tra\u0308ffar jag flator.
\nVarfo\u0308r a\u0308r det sa\u030a? Jag har aldrig pratat med sa\u030a ma\u030anga som under dessa augustikva\u0308llar. Var a\u0308r ni resten av a\u030aret?
\nDet ba\u0308sta med Pride a\u0308r just mixen av ma\u0308nniskor med a\u030atminstone det gemensamt att samtliga har ett mer eller mindre o\u0308ppet sinne. Man mo\u0308ter folk man aldrig annars skulle tra\u0308ffa och vidgar sina vyer ytterligare. Det vore sa\u030a kul om det kunde fortga\u030a a\u030aret runt.<\/p>\n

Gla\u0308djen, gemenskapen och stoltheten ma\u030aste ju inte ta slut na\u0308r Pride Park sta\u0308nger.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 Stockholm Prides hemsida, augusti 2005.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Torsdag betyder schlager och schlager betyder ka\u0308rlek<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pride Park fo\u0308rvandlades a\u030aterigen till ett hav av schlagera\u0308lskare och fo\u0308rra a\u030arets na\u030agot ljumna torsdagsafton fo\u0308ll snabbt i glo\u0308mska.<\/p>\n

I a\u030ar sva\u0308ngde det mer och allsa\u030angspubliken pa\u030a Skansen skulle ha haft en hel del att la\u0308ra.
\nDet a\u0308r en na\u0308stan obeskrivbart underbar ka\u0308nsla att sta\u030a bland alla dessa ma\u0308nniskor och skra\u030ala med i la\u030atar man inte ho\u0308rt pa\u030a ett decennium eller tva\u030a. Sol, o\u0308l, musik, glada ma\u0308nniskor och en romans da\u0308rtill a\u0308r total lycka. Ba\u0308ttre a\u0308n sa\u030a blir det bara inte.
\nKva\u0308llens drottning var utan konkurrens Arja Saijonmaa. En mer parant donna a\u0308r lika sva\u030arfunnen som havre pa\u030a ett risfa\u0308lt. Hon bjo\u0308d sa\u030a klart pa\u030a \u201dHo\u0308gt o\u0308ver havet\u201d och \u201dVad du a\u0308n trodde sa\u030a trodde du fel\u201d, som ju ka\u0308ndes kultfo\u0308rklarad redan innan hon floppade med den i Melodifestivalen.
\nSom bonus fick vi ho\u0308ra \u201dOm natten\u201d, la\u030aten hon valde bort till Jessica Folckers stora gla\u0308dje.<\/p>\n

Det var ocksa\u030a underbart att se Kikki Danielsson och Elisabeth Andreassen sjunga \u201dDag efter dag\u201d som Chips. Andra efterla\u0308ngtade duor var systrarna Ka\u0308tka\u0308 i Cat Cat (\u201dBye Bye Baby\u201d) och Karin & Anders Glennmark (\u201dKall som is\u201d).
\nNa\u0308rmare paradiset kan man som schlagerbo\u0308g inte komma, a\u0308n att sta\u030a bland tusentals ma\u0308nniskor som ocksa\u030a kan koreografin till Bel Airs \u201d1+1=2\u201d. Man fylls la\u0308tt av en nostalgisk overklighetska\u0308nsla na\u0308r barndomsidolerna plo\u0308tsligt bara sta\u030ar da\u0308r och sjunger sina gamla la\u030atar.<\/p>\n

Jag menar, har jag na\u030agonsin ho\u0308rt Annica Burman sjunga \u201dI en ding ding va\u0308rld\u201d bortsett fra\u030an den da\u0308r kva\u0308llen 1988? Jag tror inte det. Och sa\u030a bara hon uppenbarar sig och texten sitter som klistrad i mitt huvud.<\/p>\n

Anna Book har ju upptra\u0308tt ba\u030ade pa\u030a Pride och i andra gaysammanhang hur ma\u030anga ga\u030anger som helst, a\u0308nda\u030a a\u0308r det alltid lika lovely att ho\u0308ra hennes \u201dABC\u201d. Trots Lasse Holms oersa\u0308ttliga bidrag till schlagerva\u0308rlden trodde jag va\u0308l aldrig att jag skulle fa\u030a se honom pa\u030a en Pride-scen. Men det fick jag, och med Monica To\u0308rnell dessutom!
\nMina personliga ho\u0308jdpunkter denna kva\u0308ll var a\u0308nda\u030a da\u030a Elisabeth Andreassen sjo\u0308ng en av mina absoluta favoritla\u030atar, \u201dI evighet\u201d, samt Anabel Condes framfo\u0308rande av ESC-tva\u030aan \u201dVuelve conmigo\u201d. Tva\u030a dro\u0308mmar som gick i uppfyllelse.
\nMan kan ju spekulera hur mycket som helst i hur det kommer sig att schlager a\u0308r sa\u030a poppis bland homosarna, men det fa\u030ar na\u030agon annan go\u0308ra.
\nJag a\u0308lskar artisterna och jag a\u0308lskar det la\u0308ttsamma och gla\u0308ttiga och alla over-the-top-kreationer, men framfo\u0308rallt a\u0308lskar jag musiken. Sa\u030a enkelt a\u0308r det faktiskt i mitt fall.<\/p>\n

Inget sla\u030ar en schyst refra\u0308ng.<\/p>\n

Ja, det skulle va\u0308l vara en riktigt la\u0308cker tonartsho\u0308jning i sa\u030a fall.<\/p>\n

\n

A\u030ar efter a\u030ar ses vi som avla\u0308gsna sla\u0308ktingar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Under invigningen av Stockholm Pride slog det mig hur Pride betyder olika fo\u0308r olika ma\u0308nniskor.<\/p>\n

Efter att ha varit med sedan Europride 1998 plus na\u030agra Frigo\u0308relseveckor a\u030aren innan har meningen med Pride fo\u0308r mig ga\u030att fra\u030an na\u030agot va\u0308ldigt politiskt till en fest och sja\u0308lvklar semestervecka.<\/p>\n

Under Priden i allma\u0308nhet och i Pride Park i synnerhet tra\u0308ffar jag ma\u0308nniskor jag aldrig annars tra\u0308ffar \u2013 a\u030ar efter a\u030ar ses vi som avla\u0308gsna sla\u0308ktingar. Fo\u0308r andra a\u0308r det fo\u0308rsta ga\u030angen de deltar och ett sa\u0308tt att synas, ett sa\u0308tt att komma ut och sa\u0308llan a\u0308r va\u0308l publiken sa\u030a mixad som under den ha\u0308r veckan.<\/p>\n

Till onsdagens ho\u0308jdpunkter ho\u0308rde upptra\u0308danden med Alcazar, Afro-Dite och Sylvia Vrethammar. Personligen sa\u030ag jag mest fram emot att se Pay TV, som ju verkar vara en lika sja\u0308lvklar del av Stockholm Pride som de regnba\u030agsfa\u0308rgade ballongerna i entre\u0301n.
\nI a\u030ar gjorde Pay TV bland annat en ha\u0308rlig version av Madonnas \u201dMaterial Girl\u201d.<\/p>\n

A\u030arets tema, hatbrott och homofobi, ka\u0308ndes plo\u0308tsligt la\u0308skigt aktuellt i och med den skadego\u0308relse som skedde redan innan festen hunnit bo\u0308rja. La\u0308nspolisma\u0308staren Carin Go\u0308tblad sade i sitt bejublade, ba\u030ade allvarliga och humoristiska, invigningstal bland annat att Pride beho\u0308vs fo\u0308r att provocera det som a\u0308r norm, vare sig det handlar om sexuell la\u0308ggning eller traditionella ko\u0308nsroller.<\/p>\n

Publicerad p\u00e5 Stockholm Prides hemsida, augusti 2005.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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