A Militant Juneteenth × Pride video I made last month. Ft. Housemate...

"Little Girl & Her Ancestors". In honor of black autonomy, militancy, & pride. In defense of life, against life's violators.

This week’s note is a little more personal, because I’ve officially hit six months alcohol‑free, and it feels… honestly, incredible. Not just because of the number, but because of what it represents. I’ve been calling it alcohol‑free instead of sober because it feels more true to what this journey has been for me. I don’t feel restricted — I feel free. Free of the chains alcohol had on my life, my routines, my emotions, and my sense of self.

I didn’t make a big announcement when I stopped drinking. I didn’t set out to hit a milestone. I just wanted to feel better. I wanted mornings that didn’t feel heavy, nights that didn’t blur together, and a life that wasn’t quietly shaped around something that wasn’t actually giving me anything good.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I was choosing myself — over and over again — in small, quiet ways that added up to something huge.

Six months later, I feel clearer. Calmer. More present. More connected to the things I actually care about. I feel like I’ve gotten pieces of myself back that I didn’t even realize I’d lost. And I feel proud — genuinely proud — of the version of me that’s growing from this.

It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been worth it. And I’m celebrating this milestone because it represents freedom, clarity, and a kind of self‑trust I didn’t have before.

 The text reflects the enduring Jewish desire to live as a free people in Zion and Jerusalem. 

Jewish immigrant Samuel Cohen, living in Ottoman-ruled palestine, set Imber's words to a melody derived from a Moldavian folk song. This tune traces its roots back to a 16th-century Italian song, La Mantovana. 

The song became the rallying anthem at the Sixth Zionist Congress in Basel, famously sung by delegates opposing the Uganda Proposal to highlight their commitment to returning directly to Israel. 

During the Holocaust, Hatikvah provided solace and defiance. It was sung by Czech Jews entering the gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944.

When the State of Israel was established, the song was embraced as the country's anthem, though it was not formally codified at that time. 

On November 10, 2004, the Knesset formally passed an amendment to the Flag and Coat-of-Arms Law, officially declaring Hatikvah as the national anthem of Israel.

𝐴𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛,

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐽𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑠,

𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛 𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑠, 𝑜𝑛𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑,

𝐴𝑛 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑔𝑎𝑧𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑍𝑖𝑜𝑛.

𝑂𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡,

𝑇ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑝𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑤𝑜-𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑜𝑙𝑑,

𝑇𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑,𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑍𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝐽𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑚.

On April 15, 1945, British troops liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. The surviving 60,000 prisoners had seen and suffered unbelievable horrors. But they still had hope. Five days after liberation, the Jewish prisoners held a Shabbat service in the camp. It was the first time many of them had taken part in a Jewish service in six years. With what little energy they had left, they sang Hatikvah.