There will be some very sore and stiff legs this morning among the 10,413 who ran the Dublin Marathon yesterday. I’ve run that marathon twice (in 2005 and 2006) and it’s a great course. Congratulations to all who took part yesterday, whatever their finish time. Running a marathon is an amazing experience. I’d dreamt of doing it since I was a kid and I am so glad I finally got round to fulfilling the dream in 2005, when I ran what remains my personal best time: 4hrs 3mins.

The following year I chose the Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) as my charity. The PRF works to raise awareness and find a cure for the Progeria Syndrome which is a rare, fatal genetic condition characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children. The Syndrome’s rarity is of little comfort to those who suffer from it, of course. Children with Progeria suffer strokes and heart attacks as early as five years of age and die of heart disease at an average age of just 13 years.

I was inspired to run for the PRF after watching a Channel 4 documentary about some Indian children with the condition, which you can see here. There is a shorter video about them here. You can read more about Progeria and the fight to find a cure here. Good luck to all the Progeria kids and their families and friends.

Here’s a video of me finishing that second marathon. That’s me coming over the line in a light blue t-shirt (and white Israel football shorts which I’d purchased in Tel Aviv the previous month!) on 46 seconds and 54 seconds.

As we have seen in recent times, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an organisation that cares little for human rights but loves to demonise Israel.

Even Robert L Bernstein, the man who founded HRW and was its chairman for two decades, has now lost patience with the organisation:

“Israel, with a population of 7.4 million, is home to at least 80 human rights organizations, a vibrant free press, a democratically elected government, a judiciary that frequently rules against the government, a politically active academia, multiple political parties and, judging by the amount of news coverage, probably more journalists per capita than any other country in the world – many of whom are there expressly to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Meanwhile, the Arab and Iranian regimes rule over some 350 million people, and most remain brutal, closed and autocratic, permitting little or no internal dissent. The plight of their citizens who would most benefit from the kind of attention a large and well-financed international human rights organization can provide is being ignored as Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division prepares report after report on Israel.”

For the full text of Bernstein’s article, and plenty more on HRW, check out the latest dispatch by the brilliant Tom Gross.

My friend Tal has a big week ahead of her – she’s starting her IDF (Israeli army) service. I am completely supportive of both the IDF and of Israel’s policy of national service. It’s easy for me to say that, though – a Gentile living in a quiet British village.

I want Tal to know how much I admire her for what she is about to do.

She’s a wonderful friend to have. Fun, thoughtful, kind and almost unbearably cute. Cool, too – when she was a schoolgirl she gave a speech at the launch of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. We had a lot of fun in London during her summer visit which I dubbed the Beyond Beseder days. (She’s the one in the blue tops.) Lots more fun to come in the future.

In the meantime, I know she’s going to do just great with the challenge to come. We’re all very proud of you, Tal.

Friends of Israel, please feel free to leave a supportive message for Tal on the comments form below. Let’s show her some admiration!

So, I promised a review of the Matisyahu gig at the Islington Academy. It was a great night all round. I had dinner before the gig with the gorgeous Digital Media Marketing Queen Monique Lester, her beautiful sister Brenda and Brenda’s wonderful, warm and witty Israeli fella Sam. (Or ‘Sim’. Private joke.) We ate Italian, slagged off Islingtonians and discussed button mushrooms. (Another private joke. Last one, I promise.) Oh what fun we had.

Then it was on to the gig for me. Listen, the Islington Academy is a terrible, terrible venue. Seriously. You can hardly move and it’s more or less impossible to get even a semi-decent view of the stage. And it’s in a modern shopping centre – rock ‘n’ roll! On the plus side, there was no queue for the bar. But I’m teetotal nowadays so that was of little consequence to me.

Despite the dodgy surroundings, Matisyahu was fantastic. He’s a charismatic stage presence and has a wonderfully cool, shy smile. He sang tracks from his back catalogue and brilliant new album including One Day, Exaltation, Lord Raise Me Up, Youth, King Without A Crown, and Jerusalem. There is a rough-and-ready video from the night on YouTube.

At times the performance was a bit indulgent, with long periods of dub-reggae improvisation that took the main man out of the picture a bit. He invited another Jewish rapper called Kosha Dillz on for a guest spot at one point and Mr Dillz (I never know how to refer to rappers with odd names!) nearly stole the show with a hilarious, rousing skit.

But Matisyahu was on fantastic form and really connected with the audience, contrary to accounts I’ve read of previous concerts of his. He even stage-dived (thus further undermining Johann Hari’s peculiar attack of 2006). I’d waited so long to see him live, it was great to see him. A sizeable chunk of the audience (mostly the JPs I couldn’t help but notice) left once he had sung Jerusalem (like the opposite of an Israeli boycott) so for the final song of the encore I could both breathe and see the stage clearly. Ooh, I felt ever so spoilt!

It was an enjoyable, enlightening performance. It really was. I even had a small weep during Jerusalem. Come back soon, big man. Just pick a better venue next time. The Forum in Kentish Town is a bit bigger, and much better. Convenient for the JPs, too.

In other news, I’m honoured to have been invited to the Friday night service at the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue and for dinner afterwards with some members of the congregation. Really looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, I’m writing a ‘hot book’. Not my words, the words of The Bookseller. Scroll down towards end of the story.

Finally, a quick word about Leona Lewis. As my friends know I’m an enormous fan of her music and her in general. I really hope she’s okay after yesterday’s attack.

When I was a kid, I dreamt of meeting famous footballers and pop stars. Through my journalism I’ve met literally hundreds of them, and in all truth it’s rarely a massive thrill anymore. It’s nice work to have, but work all the same. Nowadays, I wish I could meet politicians I admire. Bibi, obviously. But also high on that list would be Tony Blair.

I came close once. When I was in Israel in the summer of 2006, myself and my friend Susi got wind that Tony Blair was staying in a hotel just down the road from ours in Tel Aviv. We both instantly had the same idea: seek him out, shake his hand and congratulate him on his moral stance on Iraq. We really wanted to, but didn’t fancy our chances of getting close to a serving and embattled Prime Minister, especially in security-conscious Israel of all places. So we stayed by the pool instead.

When I read about ridiculous episodes like this during the commemorative service for the dead of Iraq at St Pauls on Friday, I wish we’d made the effort. I wish I could tell Mr Blair how grateful and admiring some of us are for the stance he took on Iraq and Afghanistan. In both wars he was courageous, moral and entirely selfless: everything a leader should be. It was upsetting to see the effect that Iraq visibly had on his health. Upsetting but awe-inspiring: that’s real leadership right there, etched into his face.

As I wrote in Not In My Name: “With Iraq, Blair threw out of the window his obsessions with spin, approval and short-term gain. In doing so, Britain’s youngest ever Prime Minister truly came of age as a leader and a man. In contrast to when Thatcher went to war for the people of the Falklands Islands, Blair knew full well that his stance on Iraq was never going to reap electoral dividends. He also knew it could wreck his legacy. In making his stance, he demonstrated all manner of qualities that he’d previously only shown in spasms: he was steadfast, courageous and self-sacrificing.” I met Alastair Campbell last year and told him how much I admired him and Blair for Iraq and related issues. The surprise on his face said it all, really.

It’s become so mindlessly trendy to diss Blair. I wish I could tell him how much I admire the many, many other great achievements of his reign – including his swift and decisive action on gay rights. I also admired him for his faith, even though I do not share his brand. I will always remember how calmly he dealt with sneering questions about religion from the likes of Jeremy Paxman. It was on the world stage, though, that he starred until the end. Even in the closing months of his premiership, he continued to take a moral stance by resisting enormous pressure to condemn Israel’s defensive action against Hezbollah in the summer of 2006.

It’s interesting when people compare Blair to President Obama. True, there are similarities in terms of presentation and in the hype that greeted the coronation of both leaders. But I remain to be convinced that Obama has the moral clarity or courage to make the sorts of difficult, perhaps unpopular decisions that are badly needed internationally, not least over Iran. I hope I’m proved wrong.

In the meantime, respect to Tony Blair.

I know a few readers were disappointed to miss out on tickets for tonight’s sold-out Matisyahu gig in London. He has ‘tweeted’ a competition to win tickets here.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for the new look Oy Va Goy. To be launched soon!