Our first fundraiser is over, and we've raised the $8000 we asked for two weeks ago. "Thank you!" doesn't begin to describe my/our gratitude.
This site began more than three years ago as a personal blog, with dog pictures and my take on the World Cup. Before long, the social forces of the internet and my own impatience to discover what I really think about our tragic foreign policy and my Jewish identity gave the site a distinct character, a place where people could be critical of America's Israel/Palestine policy and could talk about identity politics. When I left the New York Observer two years back, that character was solidified.
The other landmarks in this site's progress have been the appearance of several important outside voices, including Jack Ross, James North, Mohammad of Vancouver, Anees of Jerusalem, Susie Kneedler, Ira Glunts, Jeff Blankfort, Bruce Wolman, and several others who must go anonymous. Then the decision by Adam Horowitz to come on as a partner earlier this year. (No: not enough women on the site; we're aware of that, and working on that.) My friends Peter Drubetskoy and Tony Schmitz lent us technical help, and slowly the site became more professional and dependable. As the road unrolls, I expect to take on more editorial responsibility and less of the writing work.
Many times over the last three years I've thought of abandoning this site. Basically because I've made no money. But countless media workers are having the same experience, and this site today seems to have greater permanence than ever; and if you'd told me a year ago that we would be able to raise $8000 in two weeks, I wouldn't have believed you.
The lesson of all this is that we have learned to get into the flow of the new community the internet has made, and it's a powerful force for change of all sorts. As the internet grows, we want to develop with it. The incredible generosity we've experienced over the last two weeks has increased our sense of responsibility. Thank you!
