More sufganiyot and a word on democracy

First of all, in response to Yonit's complaint that my sufganiya list has been too brand-limited, I've added another three:

1. Chocolate "porcupine" – filled with chocolate and topped with "quills" of non-dairy semisweet chocolate ganache
2. "Rocher" – filled with chocolate and nougat cream and topped with chocolate ganache and rice crispies
3. Plain donut, complete with a hole in the middle, topped with classic chocolate topping

I feel like I should write something serious at this point, and so I will:

My democratic moment of the week:

Yesterday, a group of students enrolled in a pre-college program to complete their matriculation exams came to my office. They had discovered that matriculation courses had been privatized under their noses, so to speak, and that the organizations that provided funding for newly-discharged soldiers, ultra-orthodox, Ethiopians and so on had decided to stop working with the privatized body. The result? Somewhere around 12,000 students trying to qualify for higher education will discover on January 1 that their funding has been pulled out from under them.

The four students, all from Sappir College in Sderot, had come to the Knesset in the hopes of meeting with MKs and getting the privatization cancelled or at least to find a way to save this school year, which they have already started.

I spent around two hours with them and finished the day feeling really, really, absurdly good, despite the fact that they have very little chance of saving their education in the next two weeks before the privatization goes into effect. So why?

Because it is sometimes easy here to become very jaded and cynical. And sometimes it takes four students pounding the halls here, and camping out in the dining rooms to remind myself that not all Israelis think that the Knesset is simply an elaborate dance with a predetermined outcome. Sometimes, people come here because they believe that they can make a change, if only someone will listen to them.

And today – a relatively unknown MK caught me in the hallway, and smiled at me, telling me that he had already started work on the students' case. Sometimes, that means, the effort can pay off.

Happy December, everyone. Its one of my absolute favorite months. There is something very optimistic and rejuvenating about crisp, chilly air.

If I could give the world one assignment today, it would be finding a representative, and telling them what you think about something you care about. Because sometimes they listen.