When my mother was involved in the civil rights movement, back when we had segregation here in the US, she had some difficult decisions to face.

We lived one house away from the beach. There were no black families living in any of the neighborhoods that had beaches. There was no parking allowed in the street, so only people who lived withing walking distance from the beach could use it.

My mother used to invite her black friends to park in our driveway so they could use our beach. She was concerned that they might be hassled by people who didn't know why they were there. So she would stand on the front porch talking with them for a while so everyone could see who had invited them.

I reckon my mother knew she stood to lose some friends because of that. Maybe the thought of it made her sad. I don't know because she never said. But when she had to make a choice between her conscience and her friends, she chose her conscience.

I know that my position on what's going on in Israel has the potential to cost me some friends, both Jewish and non Jewish. The thought of that makes me sad. But when it boils down to a choice between my conscience and my friends, I'm sorry, but I have to go with my conscience.