Merav Michaeli is a gray human

Minister of Transportation Merav Michaeli caused quite a stir today with what was a very personal announcement last night.

Michaeli announced that she and her life partner, Lior Schlein, have had a baby together, via surrogacy, which is what she recently traveled for - to meet and bring back her baby from abroad. As a brief introduction, Michaeli came under some strong criticism when she left Israel as it was against government recommendations and everyone assumed she was traveling for a not very good reason, against recommendations of the government she is a member of.  

Back to the story, Michaeli says she is still of the opinion that she does not see it necessary to bring a child into the world but she saw how much her partner wanted it and therefore she felt it important to join him on that path, even though she herself did not feel it necessary. 

Michaeli briefly refers to painful attempts and fertility treatments, and eventually they landed on surrogacy and now have beautiful baby Uri (Ori?), etc etc etc

A lot of people are criticizing her as being a hypocrite. She was famously opposed to surrogacy, in the past even derisively calling it "renting a uterus". Now she needs one and suddenly she finds a way to justify it?

First, many of the people (that I am seeing) screaming about her are people that should be lauding her for the change - these are people that value building a Jewish family and having children. They should be praising her that despite her past beliefs, she did not let that "hump" get in her way but decided it was time to build her own family and have her own child. 

Second, we don't always have to be so angry at our political opponents. Be happy for her. She brought her baby back to Israel and is starting her Jewish family. 

Third, she shared a very personal journey in what most people who go through it find it very personal, very secret, very private and often very painful. She had a good ending, but she shared publicly what was surely a very difficult period of her life. Have a little empathy, and share a little in her joy.

And fourth, last but not least, we are all humans. None of live pure black and white lives with our ideals and morals laid out and following them to a T. Life is complicated. We all come across experiences and situations that cause conflicts, emotions, difficulties, challenges. Sometimes we have to choose between conflicting ideals. She lays out very clearly that her partner wanted this so badly she put aside her own preferences to share the journey with him. All she is saying is that she is human, just like the rest of us. She at least explained herself.

Is Merav Michaeli a hypocrite because she did something she used to criticize? Maybe, but mostly she is human, a gray human, like most of us. 

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