Post Conference Bibi Disorder

5 things I rather enjoyed about the JBlogference last night:

- Finally meeting the faces behind the blog templates: From accosting Aliya06 at the dessert table, who then led me to WestBankMama, for cookies and hugs, to discussing the intricacies of the "Srugim" TV series with Chardal quite by accident... it was a real trip! Lovely to meet everyone, worth it just for that.

- The great buffet spread: Perhaps the only positive bonus to a *Rich* Zionist Org being behind something like this!

- The bemused looks permanently etched on the faces of the staff of said Rich Zionist Org, most of whom clearly don't get blogging, or even thought it was "for losers" (a direct quote)

- Handing Yishai Fleischer, Arutz Sheva darling and one of the biggest fascists Israel Patriots in the online world (albeit a very charming and very personable gentleman) a copy of "This Week In Palestine". When I told my E. Jeru colleagues that I was planning to distribute the magazines at a "Jewish Convention", I'm pretty sure they thought I was joking. (I think I thought I was joking too, but they all went, generally in the direction of the West Bank!)

- Smug satisfaction on hearing more and more bloggers admit how they were, in retrospect, wrong to condemn the Haaretz article which dared to imply that the conference was in any way going to be politically skewed. (These mass admissions followed the Netanyahu speech- see below for "5 things I didn't enjoy about the conference" for more information.) What can I do, sometimes it is nice to have been right all along.



5 things I absolutely did not enjoy about the conference

- The in-yer-face, "Make Aliya!" vibe. Call a spade a spade and give the evening another name... next year, call it the pro-Israel, Israeli Olim and Potential Olim Blogging Conference. Or, maintain claims of a universal appeal and invite Richard Silverstein, Mobius and Bacon-Eating Atheist Jew to be panelists. I'm just saying.

- The demonstrated sycophancy afforded by the organizers to Former Prime Minister B. Netanyahu, who hijacked the show for an hour despite not being a blogger (yes, I know, he claimed he is a blogger. He's claimed many things!) and whose presence interrupted what was looking like a promising panel discussion between real bloggers, none of whom, as far as I'm aware, exploited the organized gathering to seek re-election.

- The demonstrated sycophancy afforded by the Former Prime Minister to the hosting Rich Zionist Org. Now, much as I appreciated their hospitality (read, buffet) for the record, Mr. Former Prime Minister, a significant percentage of their touted "olim" whom you so obsequiously praised and whom I personally know are now cosily re-ensconced in the US, never to return "home", and n.b. never to return the hefty grants thrown at them for the priviledge of being greeted by trumpets, and blown up to larger-than-life size on the walls of the offices, so I can watch them smile down on me while I eat my free buffet.

- How I'm now considering going back to blogging regularly as hanging out with all my old (and new) blogfriends has reminded me why I warmed to this "community" in the first place. Dammit! :-)

... Hmm, I can't think of another one. So I guess it was an overall positive experience!

I only hope that the organizers bear my feedback (and everyone else's) in mind. And now, I'm heading back to my blogless cave, and I'll be out again in a few months, perhaps, if I have anything of note to say!