It was as if someone in my family had suddenly gotten sick and died. That was the reaction of most of my coworkers over the past 48 hours. Everywhere I went people glanced at me as if I was a devastated soldier's wife sleepwalking my way through the day. People I'd never seen before would peek over the top of my cubicle, look down at me softly and whisper, "I'm so sorry to hear about Sharon. What's his condition?"

Not that these statements were all that inappropriate, on the contrary, I've always been a vocal supporter of Israel and—for very proud reasons--keep an Israeli flag next to an American one in a small pot above my computer. I'm also not shy about discussing my faith any who ask. At my office, Jews are something of an anomaly, so naturally people are interested in the way we see the world. In a way I've become both the rabbinic authority as well as the Israeli emissary for my little splotch of northern Chicago. (I am woefully unqualified for either charge.) Nevertheless, I've never met the premier, and am not a member of the Sharon family. I may wax ecstatic from time to time, expressing how wonderful a leader I believe him to be (I've often said I wished he could run for American President, although I'm just being hyperbolic there. He'd be a horrible fit for this country) but I was more than capable of getting through my day. Still, it was touching to see how many of my colleagues took the time to seek me out and let me know they were praying for the Israeli Prime Minister.

And I am too.

You see, I've come to regard Israel's prime minister, whoever he or she may be, as something of a steward for security of the Jewish people. If we are oppressed in Russia or Venezuela it is the prime minister of Israel who can phone that world leader, convene the United Nations Security Council and who can fight for us when no one else can. There is no Pope in Judaism, no single figure to rally the rank and file and get our needs onto the national stage; that's why Israel's Prime Minister is so important and why so many of us, even those who disliked him should pray and lament his fall from power. Tony Kushner, who I mentioned in my last post, is simply wrong when he asserts that Israel is as far removed from his life as a county like Italy. Zionism has long since become the Jewish national project, and whether you agree with it or not, represents the national aspirations of our people as a whole. It symbolizes our commitment to endure. Almost half the world's Jews live in Israel and its influence over our lives is palpable. I haven't been there in years, but I can feel the excitement of a night in Tel Aviv as vividly as I can any Chicago meet-and-greet.

I am Jew. Noam Chomksy is a Jew. Tony Kushner is a Jew. Israel is the Jewish state. It may not speak for us, but it most certainly speaks to us. We owe it to ourselves and to the memory of our ancestors to support it. To criticize and judge it too, but most certainly to support it.

Going through the world's editorials today, I notice that virtually all them expressed disappointment and loss at Mr. Sharon's departure form politics, proclaiming that his eventual demise would most certianly hamper the peace process.  This includes periodicals like The Guardian, the New York Times and even the Saudi-based Arab News—papers that normally take a very critical view of Sharon's policies.  And it is no greater testament to the man's poltical acument to note, as some have, that when Sharon first came to power his very election was seen as an impediment to peace.