Notes from a former AIPAC Conference virgin

    As a devoted and fervent zionist myself, I found my first AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee) conference to be exactly what I wanted it to be, totally awesome. Over 13,000 people converging from March 4th to the 6th at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. to do their part to sustain and improve the vital strategic relationship between the United States and Israel. It is so beautiful to be around so many like minded Israel supporters who are either religious, secular, liberal, conservative, young, old, students, retirees, whole families or church and synagogue groups, all sharing the similar ideals of democracy, faith, values, and a clear bipartisan mission of tikkun olam (repair the world). So many of these inspiring folks are leaders who are educated and involved people actively engaged in their communities and with their political representatives in Washington D.C.

      Iran is the dominant subject of the conference during this election year we have super-mega political superstar lineup like American president Barak Obama, Israel's president Shimon Peres, a panel of Fox News contributor Bill Kristol and Democratic political analyst Donna Brazile, Mike Murphy from Meet the Press and Paul Begala from CNN, all weighing in and giving us their opinion on the way forward. For a news junkie like me, today was like a twelve hour dose of CRACK (Whitney Houston's fave). Tomorrow Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu is speaking and I am all a quiver, can't wait for that, where I will be dressing super fancy for a gala dinner attended by half of congress and I can't wait to rub some elbows. 

Israel's president Shimon Peres

Me and Rabbi Caper Funnye, Jr. the spiritual leader of 

Beth Shalom B'nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, located in Chicago.

Barak Obama charming the crowd.

Power Panel, Bill Kristol, Donna Brazile, Mike Murphy and Paul Begala

Some sad protesters selling nothing but resentment and negativity. One of them scrawled pro Taliban and Pro Hamas graffiti on the side of the Convention Center, classy.

And Daniel Hernandez, the heroic savior of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords