Bulletin: Americans Jews and Israel

Books

• Lawrence J. Epstein, Americans and the Birth of Israel

Articles

• Yehonatan Abramson, Making a Homeland, Constructing a Diaspora: The Case of Taglit-Birthright Israel
• Mordechai Inbari, Jewish and Israeli Pilgrimage Experience: Constructing National Identity
• Shaul Kelner, Israel, the Sociology of American Judaism and the Problematics of Sovereignty
• Stephen W. Litvin and Jill Alison Schancupp, American Jewish Youth’s Attachment to Israel: Implications for Israeli Tourism

Reviews

• Zev Eleff, on Emily Alice Katz’s Bringing Zion Home
• Ari Y. Kelman, on Dov Waxman’s Trouble in the Tribe
• Eli Lederhendler, on Jonathan Rynhold’s The Arab Israeli Conflict in American Political Culture, Theodore Sasson’s The New American Zionism, and Dov Waxman’s Trouble in the Tribe
• Michael Rubner, on Dov Waxman’s Trouble in the Tribe
• Sarah M. Tauber, on Emily Alice Katz’s Bringing Zion Home

New Book: Waxman, Trouble in the Tribe

Waxman, Dov. Trouble in the Tribe: The American Jewish Conflict over Israel. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016.

 

Trouble in the Tribe explores the increasingly contentious place of Israel in the American Jewish community. In a fundamental shift, growing numbers of American Jews have become less willing to unquestioningly support Israel and more willing to publicly criticize its government. More than ever before, American Jews are arguing about Israeli policies, and many, especially younger ones, are becoming uncomfortable with Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Dov Waxman argues that Israel is fast becoming a source of disunity for American Jewry, and that a new era of American Jewish conflict over Israel is replacing the old era of solidarity.

Drawing on a wealth of in-depth interviews with American Jewish leaders and activists, Waxman shows why Israel has become such a divisive issue among American Jews. He delves into the American Jewish debate about Israel, examining the impact that the conflict over Israel is having on Jewish communities, national Jewish organizations, and on the pro-Israel lobby. Waxman sets this conflict in the context of broader cultural, political, institutional, and demographic changes happening in the American Jewish community. He offers a nuanced and balanced account of how this conflict over Israel has developed and what it means for the future of American Jewish politics.

Israel used to bring American Jews together. Now it is driving them apart. Trouble in the Tribe explains why.

 

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments vii
Introduction 1
1. THE CHANGING AMERICAN JEWISH RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL 18
2. THE END OF “ISRAEL, RIGHT OR WRONG” 55
3. THE ARGUMENT ABOUT ISRAEL 91
4. THE EROSION OF CONSENSUS 123
5. THE FRACTURING OF THE PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY 147
6. THE CHALLENGE TO THE JEWISH ESTABLISHMENT 174
7. THE POLARIZATION OF AMERICAN JEWRY 193
CONCLUSION 210
Notes 217
Bibliography 291
Index 309

 

DOV WAXMAN is professor of political science, international affairs, and Israel studies at Northeastern University. He is the author of The Pursuit of Peace and the Crisis of Israeli Identity and the coauthor of Israel’s Palestinians: The Conflict Within. He lives in Boston..

 

 

 

New Book: Barnett, The Star and the Stripes

Barnett, Michael N. The Star and the Stripes. A History of the Foreign Policies of American Jews. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016.

 

 

How do American Jews envision their role in the world? Are they tribal—a people whose obligations extend solely to their own? Or are they prophetic—a light unto nations, working to repair the world? The Star and the Stripes is an original, provocative interpretation of the effects of these worldviews on the foreign policy beliefs of American Jews since the nineteenth century. Michael Barnett argues that it all begins with the political identity of American Jews. As Jews, they are committed to their people’s survival. As Americans, they identify with, and believe their survival depends on, the American principles of liberalism, religious freedom, and pluralism. This identity and search for inclusion form a political theology of prophetic Judaism that emphasizes the historic mission of Jews to help create a world of peace and justice.

The political theology of prophetic Judaism accounts for two enduring features of the foreign policy beliefs of American Jews. They exhibit a cosmopolitan sensibility, advocating on behalf of human rights, humanitarianism, and international law and organizations. They also are suspicious of nationalism—including their own. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that American Jews are natural-born Jewish nationalists, Barnett charts a long history of ambivalence; this ambivalence connects their early rejection of Zionism with the current debate regarding their attachment to Israel. And, Barnett contends, this growing ambivalence also explains the rising popularity of humanitarian and social justice movements among American Jews.

Rooted in the understanding of how history shapes a political community’s sense of the world, The Star and the Stripes is a bold reading of the past, present, and possible future foreign policies of American Jews.

 

Table of Contents

• Acknowledgments vii
• Introduction 1
• Chapter One Heine’s Law and Jewish Foreign Policies 19
• Chapter Two The Making of a Prophetic People (pre-1914) 51
• Chapter Three Prophets Mugged by Reality (1914–1945) 87
• Chapter Four The Cosmopolitan and the National (1945–1967) 121
• Chapter Five The New Tribalism (1967–1990) 155
• Chapter Six Back to the Future? (1990–present) 195
• Chapter Seven The Foreign Policies of an Uncertain People 243
• Notes 275
• Bibliography 303
• Index 335

 

MICHAEL N. BARNETT is the University Professor of International Affairs and Political Science at George Washington University. His many books include Empire of Humanity and Dialogues in Arab Politics.

 

 

 

New Article: Felson and Silk, National Affairs

Felson, Ethan, Mark Silk. “National Affairs.” American Jewish Year Book 115 (2015):89-106.

 

URL: dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24505-8_3

 

Abstract

This chapter details the major events of the past year, international and domestic, and how they impacted the American Jewish community. Tensions between the Israeli prime minister and the American president, the threat of a nuclear Iran, a war in Gaza, rising Islamic radicalism, and the growth of the boycott, divestment and sanction movement consumed the attention of much of the organized Jewish community. Closer to home, racial unrest in several major cities roiled during the year – and the country awaited a Supreme Court decision requiring recognition of same sex marriage nationwide, a move that liberal Jews sought but which raised concerns among more traditional Jews, particularly those who might be called upon to recognize such unions in their businesses and communities.

 

 

Lecture: Gordis, The Shift in the American Jewish Communal Relationship to Israel (Berkeley, March 29, 2016)

The Shift in the American Jewish Communal Relationship to Israel 

A talk by Dr. Daniel Gordis

 

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

6:30 p.m.
Rapaporte Treasure Hall, Goldfarb Library
Brandeis University

 

Join us for an evening with Dr. Daniel Gordis, Senior Vice President and the Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College. He has authored more than ten books and is a regular columnist for both the Jerusalem Post and for Bloomberg View. Gordis’ writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, The New York Times Magazine, Azure, Commentary Magazine and Foreign Affairs, among others. His books have received numerous awards. Commentary Magazine has called Gordis’ most recent book, Menachem Begin: The Battle for Israel’s Soul  “the gold standard in Begin studies.” F urther information will be posted here as the event gets closer.

New Article: Koren et al, Jewish Life on Campus

Koren, Annette, Leonard Saxe, and Eric Fleisch. “Jewish Life on Campus: From Backwater to Battleground.” American Jewish Year Book 115 (2015):45-88.

 

URL: dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24505-8_2

 

Abstract

The past two decades have witnessed a dramatic shift in the extent and focus of concerns about Jewish life on campus. The Jewish community is increasingly occupied with the education of the next generation and the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on campus. Outreach to Jewish students—from the expansion of Hillel and Chabad to the flourishing of Birthright Israel, as well as the growth of Jewish and Israel Studies—have engaged formerly uninvolved students with Jewish education and Jewish life. This article describes the situation on campus: the proportion of Jewish students, Israel-related activity, and perceptions of anti-Semitism. It discusses academic programs such as Jewish and Israel Studies and informal programs, such as Hillel and Chabad, that engage students in Jewish life. It also describes organizations and programs, both experiential and advocacy-oriented, that help students identify and combat attempts to delegitimize Israel and intimidate Jewish expression.

 

 

Seminar and Call for Applications: Leffell Seminar on The Impact of Israel on American Jewry

Call for Applications

How has Israel shaped the culture, religious expression, political and organizational life, and self-understanding of American Jews between 1948 and the present? This subject will be explored at a two-day seminar sponsored by The Lisa and Michael Leffell Foundation, August 2-3, 2016 in White Plains, New York. Facilitated by senior academic faculty and leading opinion-makers, the seminar invites applicants from a broad range of disciplinary backgrounds in the humanities and social sciences. All transportation and lodging expenses will be provided by the Foundation. Seminar presenters will receive a $2,500 stipend for their participation.

Advanced graduate students, early career academics, and thought leaders are invited to submit an application by March 18, 2016, with notification of acceptance to the seminar by April 15, 2016. Applicants should submit a two- page resume that includes personal contact information, education, degrees earned, publications, and names with contact information of two persons who can directly reflect on the candidate’s past performance and future promise. Each applicant must submit an 800 word essay explaining how their scholarly or professional interests intersect with the seminar’s theme. Applications should be sent electronically to Ms. Stacey Popovsky, Executive Director, Lisa and Michael Leffell Foundation at spopovsky@leffellfoundation.org. You may also contact Ms. Popovsky with questions at (646) 532-2445. Candidates accepted for participation in the seminar will be asked to write an original 12-15 page paper on a topic related to the seminar’s theme due no later than June 10, 2016. Seminar presenters will be eligible to apply for subsequent research support to expand the scope of their seminar presentations for possible publication.

Lisa and Michael Leffell
Ken Stein, Emory University, Consultant to the Foundation
Jack Wertheimer, Jewish Theological Seminary, Consultant to the Foundation

https://israeled.org/leffell-seminar/

Dissertation: Aronson, Ripple Effects of Taglit-Birthright Israel on Parents of Participants

Aronson, Janet Krasner. Leveraging Social Networks to Create Social Change: Ripple Effects of Taglit-Birthright Israel on Parents of Participants, PhD thesis, Brandeis University, 2015.

 

URL: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1729173165

 

Abstract

In the present accountability-oriented policy environment, funding and replication of educational and public health programs are contingent upon evidence-based evaluations and demonstrable outcomes. In many cases, resource constraints preclude the delivery of interventions to all potential beneficiaries. It is possible, however, for program reach to be extended through consideration of the effects of the program on secondary groups in the social networks of the targeted population. Using a single case of a targeted educational program, this dissertation examines methodological issues in the explicit identification and measurement of such effects, referred to here as “ripple effects” and defined as the dissemination of indirect outcomes of a program through the social network ties of targeted individuals. Specifically, the study assesses the impact of the Taglit-Birthright Israel travel program for Jewish young adults on connections to Israel among parents of participants.

This three-paper dissertation utilizes a mixed-method approach, drawing on semistructured interviews as well as pre- and post-trip surveys of parents conducted between November 2013 and May 2014. The first paper describes the theoretical social network framework within which ripple effects operate and recommends methods to incorporate the measurement of ripple effects in program evaluation. The second paper utilizes a framework of emerging adulthood and focuses on the process of persuasion through which emerging adults influence the views of their parents. This paper concludes that changes in the parent attitudes appear to result from the persuasive efforts of their children. The last paper shows that, for Jewish parents, the primary impact of Taglit is on increased interest in visits to Israel and reduced concern about the safety of Israel travel. The effect of the program was most pronounced for parents who had never been to Israel themselves.

Policy implications of this research include findings specific to Taglit as well as to other programmatic interventions in education and public health. Evidence of ripple effects on secondary groups can lead to the design of programs to maximize and capture those effects. By ignoring these indirect effects, the actual effects of programs might be underestimated.

 

 

ToC: Contemporary Jewry 35.3 (2015)

Contemporary Jewry

Volume 35, Issue 3, October 2015

ISSN: 0147-1694 (Print) 1876-5165 (Online)

In this issue (11 articles)

1. Editor’s Introduction

   Harriet Hartman Pages 189-190

     

2. Russian Jewish Immigrants in the United States

   Barry R. Chiswick, Nicholas Larsen Pages 191-209

3. Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism in Iran: The Effects of Identity, Threat, and Political Trust

   Rusi Jaspal Pages 211-235

    

4. Parochial or Transnational Endeavor? The Attitude to Israel of Adolescents in Australian Jewish Day Schools

   Zehavit Gross, Suzanne D. Rutland Pages 237-261

    

5. Karaite Stories: Narrating Subjectivity in a Marginal Moshav

   Inbal Ester Cicurel Pages 263-284

    

6. Deep Blue: Notes on the Jewish Snail Fight

   Gadi Sagiv Pages 285-313

    

7. Research Updates

    Helen Kim Pages 315-318

    

8. Book Review: Fran Markowitz, Stephen Sharot, and Moshe Shokeid (eds): Toward an Anthropology of Nation Building and Unbuilding in Israel

   Myron J. Aronoff Pages 319-322 

9. Book review: Calvin Goldscheider: Israeli Society in the 21st Century: Immigration, Inequality, and Religious Conflict

   Bruce A. Phillips Pages 323-325

10. Book Review: Adam Ferziger: Beyond Sectarianism: The Realignment of American Orthodox Judaism

    Moshe Krakowski Pages 327-329

11. Book Review: Roberta Rosenthal Kwall: The Myth of the Cultural Jew: Culture and Law in Jewish Tradition

    Barry A. Kosmin Pages 331-332

     

Report: Koren et al, Israel Literacy Measurement Project (2015)

Koren, Annette; Fishman, Shira; Krasner Aronson, Janet; Saxe, Janet. The Israel Literacy Measurement Project: 2015 Report. Brandeis University, October 2015.

 

URL: http://bir.brandeis.edu/handle/10192/31191 [PDF]

 

Abstract

The Israel Literacy Measurement Project is an attempt to create a valid and reliable measure of knowledge of Israel. Beginning with the question, “what does it mean to be literate about Israel?” the team worked to establish assessment standards. Drawing on definitions of literacy in other social science disciplines and in consultation with subject experts, the research team developed a test bank of validated Israel-related questions. The question bank can be used with college-aged young adults to assess the extent and content of their Israel-related knowledge.

ToC: Washington Report on Middle East Affairs (Nov-Dec 2015)

Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

November/December 2015 Table of Contents

Interpreting the Middle East for North Americans • Interpreting North America for the Middle East

The U.S. Role in the Middle East and the Israeli Occupation of Palestine

8 Lack of Hope, Worsening Oppression Spur Young Palestinians to Act—Rachelle Marshall
12 Israel Ratchets up Its Violence Against a New Generation of Palestinians—Four Views—Jonathan Cook, Samah Jabr, Mohammed Omer, John V. Whitbeck

17 Sabra and Shatila 33 Years Later—A Personal Account—Ellen Siegel

20 Egypt Floods Its Border With Gaza—Mohammed Omer

27 Iran Nuclear Agreement Clears Biggest Legislative Hurdle, but More Remain—Shirl McArthur

SPECIAL REPORTS

22 Morocco’s Occupation of Western Sahara Parallels Israel and Palestine—Ian Williams

24 The U.S. and Russia in Syria—Two Views—Patrick J. Buchanan, Robert Parry

71 In Memoriam: Dr. Jamal Barzinji (1939-2015)—Sami Al-Arian

DEPARTMENTS

5 Letters to the Editor

7 Publishers’ Page

30 New York City and Tri-State News: Bassem Tamimi: “To Liberate Palestine, We Must Have Free Women”—Jane Adas

32 Northern California ­Chronicle: CAIR-CA, Community Groups Thank Governor for Signing Racial Profiling Bill—Elaine Pasquini

34 Israel and Judaism: Will a Freed Pollarld Become a Hero and Role Model for Israel And Its American Friends?—Allan C. Brownfeld

37 Other People’s Mail

39 Southern California Chronicle: Dr. Nabil Azzam Honored at 2015 Arab Music Festival and Conference in Cairo—Pat and Samir Twair

40 Arab-American Activism:

Candidates Woo Arab-American Voters—and Vice Versa
ArabEidFest Entertains and Informs

41 Human Rights:

Syria and Beyond: Assessing the Global Refugee Crisis
Human Rights Group Calls for Justice for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui
Ehud Barak Sued in California for Role in Mavi Marmara Raid

43 Muslim American Activism:

CAIR Celebrates Champions for Justice

44 Music & Arts:

Simon Shaheen Helps UPA Raise Funds for Gaza Children
Palestinian-American Graphic Artist a Hit at SPXPO
Syrian Youth Talent Show

45 Waging Peace:

NCUSAR Policymakers Conference Tackles Middle East’s Pressing Issues
Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and the Devastating War in Yemen
Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize Winner Tawakkol Karman Visits Washington
Egypt’s Economic, Security and Political Challenges
Chomsky, Pappe, Roy, Walt Among Speakers at Biblical Studies Conference
HCEF Conference Explores the Future of Christianity in the Holy Land
Palestinian Christian Leaders Call for Unity, Resistance, Global Action
The Future of Bipartisanship on Israel
Coleen Rowley and Ray McGovern Host Edward Snowden in Iowa City
Gaza Teach-In at Georgetown
ANERA Dinner Raises Funds for Humanitarian Needs
Hebron Children Bring Pinwheels, Hope for Peace to Capitol Hill
Building the BDS Movement for Justice in Palestine
Dr. Cornel West Describes the Legacy of Edward Said
Southern Californians Protest Israeli Oppression
The Israel Lobby and the Iran Nuclear Deal
Protest Outside Israeli Consulate In San Francisco Draws Large Crowd

64 Diplomatic Doings:

Pope Francis Challenges Congress to Advance Peace, Human Dignity
Guests Celebrate Saudi National Day

65 The World Looks at the Middle East—Cartoons

66 Book Reviews:

William Yale: Witness to Partition in the Middle East, World War I-World War II—Reviewed by Randa A. Kayyali

Modernizing Saudi Arabia—Reviewed by Kevin A. Davis

67 Middle East Books and More

69 ‘Tis the season for Charitable Giving: A Washington Report Compendium

72 Obituaries

73 2015 AET CHOIR OF ANGELS

33 INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

ToC: Journal of Israeli History 34.2 (2015)

Journal of Israeli History, 34.2 (2015)

No Trinity: The tripartite relations between Agudat Yisrael, the Mizrahi movement, and the Zionist Organization
Daniel Mahla
pages 117-140

Judaism and communism: Hanukkah, Passover, and the Jewish Communists in Mandate Palestine and Israel, 1919–1965
Amir Locker-Biletzki
pages 141-158

Olei Hagardom: Between official and popular memory
Amir Goldstein
pages 159-180

Practices of photography on kibbutz: The case of Eliezer Sklarz
Edna Barromi Perlman
pages 181-203

The Shishakli assault on the Syrian Druze and the Israeli response, January–February 1954
Randall S. Geller
pages 205-220

Book Reviews

Becoming Israeli: National Ideals and Everyday Life in the 1950s

Deborah Bernstein
pages 221-224

The “Magic Carpet” Exodus of Yemenite Jewry: An Israeli Formative Myth

Ari Ariel
pages 224-227

The Bride and the Dowry: Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinians in the Aftermath of the June 1967 War

Itamar Radai
pages 227-230

Editorial Board

Editorial Board

.

Reviews: Meir-Glitzenstein, The “Magic Carpet” Exodus of Yemenite Jewry

Meir-Glitzenstein, Esther. The “Magic Carpet” Exodus of Yemenite Jewry. An Israeli Formative Myth. Eastbourne: Sussex Academic Press, 2014.

 

 
Reviews

• Frantzman, Seth J. “Book review: The Yemenite tragedy.” Jeruslaem Post , January 10,, 2015.
• Ariel, Ari. “Review.” Journal of Israeli History (early view; online first).

See also interview: Lee, Vered. “The Frayed Truth of Operation Magic Carpet.” Haaretz, May 28, 2012 (on Hebrew version).

 

 

Events: Jewish Review of Books, Conversations on Jewish Future (Oct 18, 2015)

Reviews: Sinclair, Loving the Real Israel

Sinclair, Alex. Loving the Real Israel: An Educational Agenda for Liberal Zionism . Teaneck, NJ: Ben Yehuda Press, 2013.

 

Reviews

• Shosany, Jill. “Book Bag: Yesh Matzav: How We Can Love and Teach the Real Israel.” RAVSAK, November 8, 2013.
• Shefter, Laura. “Review” Journal of Jewish Education 81.3 (2015): 340-344.

New Book: Ross, Doomed to Succeed

Ross, Dennis. Doomed to Succeed. The U.S.-Israel Relationship from Truman to Obama. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015.

 

 

When it comes to Israel, U.S. policy has always emphasized the unbreakable bond between the two countries and our ironclad commitment to Israel’s security. Today our ties to Israel are close–so close that when there are differences, they tend to make the news. But it was not always this way.
Dennis Ross has been a direct participant in shaping U.S. policy toward the Middle East, and Israel specifically, for nearly thirty years. He served in senior roles, including as Bill Clinton’s envoy for Arab-Israeli peace, and was an active player in the debates over how Israel fit into the region and what should guide our policies. In Doomed to Succeed, he takes us through every administration from Truman to Obama, throwing into dramatic relief each president’s attitudes toward Israel and the region, the often tumultuous debates between key advisers, and the events that drove the policies and at times led to a shift in approach.
Ross points out how rarely lessons were learned and how distancing the United States from Israel in the Eisenhower, Nixon, Bush, and Obama administrations never yielded any benefits and why that lesson has never been learned. Doomed to Succeed offers compelling advice for how to understand the priorities of Arab leaders and how future administrations might best shape U.S. policy in that light.

 

Table of Contents

Preface
1. The Evolution of US Policy toward Israel
2. The Eisenhower Administration and the Pursuit of Arab Allies
3. The Kennedy Administration: Breaking Taboos and Pursuing a New Balance
4. Lyndon Baines Johnson: Emotional Ties but Constrained by Vietnam
5. Nixon and Ford: Dysfunction, War, and Interim Agreements
6. The Carter Presidency: The Pursuit of Peace and Constant Tension with Israel
7. The Reagan Administration and the Policy of Duality
8. George H. W. Bush and Israel: Discord and Responsiveness
9. The Clinton Administration and Israel: Strategic Partners for Peace
10. Bush 43: Terror, Partnership, and Bureaucratic Divisions
11. Obama and Israel: Support for Security, Little Chemistry, and Constant Challenges
12. Lessons from the Past and Implications for the Future
Notes
Acknowledgements
Index
 

 

Dennis Ross is the Counselor and Davidson Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown. He was the director of policy planning in the State Department for George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton’s Middle East Peace envoy, and a special assistant to the president under Barack Obama.

 

 

New Article: Loeffler, The Invisibility of American Jewish Politics

Loeffler, James. “Nationalism without a Nation?: On the Invisibility of American Jewish Politics.” Jewish Quarterly Review 105.3 (2015): 367-98.

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jqr.2015.0019

 

Abstract
In this article, I launch a wholesale reexamination of the under-studied subject of American Jewish nationalism. With the focus on the road to Israeli statehood, scholars have ignored the complex, contradictory patterns of nationalist identification that marked American Zionist politics in the first half of the twentieth century. I explore this thesis through a re-reading of two key historical episodes: the American Jewish Congress movement of 1914–1920 and the American Jewish Conference, 1943–1949. In the process, I discuss the relationship between liberalism and nationalism in American Jewish political thought; the political conflicts between Jewish nationalism and anti-nationalism; and the nomenclature of Jewish nationhood in the United States. Ultimately, I conclude that the consensus position of American Jewish support for Israel after 1948 emerged only after statist Zionism had been separated from a more capacious form of American Jewish nationalism that existed before 1948. This helps us understand the origins and rise to significance of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), with implications for the current moment of American Jewish politics.

 

 

New Article: Shindler, Disagreeing with Israel: A British and American History

Shindler, Colin. “Family Politics. Disagreeing with Israel: A British and American History.” Jewish Quarterly 62.2 (2015): 48-51.

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0449010X.2015.1051707

 

Excerpt

The BDS mantra appeals to those who vehemently oppose the occupation. Yet what is the meaning of their doctrine of anti-normalisation? Some will see this as a necessary pressure to force Israel to the negotiating table and relinquish territory. Others understand anti-normalisation in terms of delegitimisation—rooting out a poisonous Zionist weed growing on Arab land. Netanyahu’s policies and the acquiescence of many British Jews therefore suit the latter. If a new Rabin were to arise, and sign a fair agreement with the Palestinians, this would produce such political fissures that the BDS movement would be consigned to an irrelevant limbo once more. Like many a Jewish leader in the UK, the advocates of BDS fear a different narrative that draws confused Jews away from their orbit.

The ripples of this situation will continue to be felt in the UK, the US, and the wider Diaspora for the foreseeable future. Jewish organisations will continue to be seen as merely appendages to the official view, despite the inner turmoil of many a Jewish leader. Public relations in Britain will be a welcome diversion from public reality in Israel. Howard Jacobson’s “ashamed Jews” and the US equivalent will continue to verbally flagellate themselves in public. The traditional approach of debate, discussion and dissension will not disappear. But it will take a period of calm, and a disappearance of provocative acts in the Middle East, to allow the peace camps in both Israel and Palestine to once more gain the upper hand from the reactionaries in progressive clothing. Only then will British Jews, American Jews, and all Diaspora Jews, have a genuine role to play in securing a just peace.

 

New Article: Lehrer, Conversations with Steiner and Yehoshua, on Jews, Jewishness and Israel

Lehrer, Natasha. “Baggage Carousel: Conversations with George Steiner and A.B. Yehoshua, on Jews, Jewishness and Israel.” Jewish Quarterly 62.2 (2015): 11-14.

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0449010X.2015.1051709

 

Excerpt

Steiner has met with a huge amount of hostility (misplaced, in my opinion) throughout his career for his vocal opposition to Zionism and his criticism of Israel, but when we meet he strikes me as more melancholy than fierce on the subject. “When Israel is in danger,” he says, “we all become Zionists. Temporary, honorary Zionists. That, I can fully understand. They are, after all, our brothers and sisters. That doesn’t mean I have to agree with them. And it does not mean that I feel I should go … . Many years ago, I was offered one or two major posts in Israel, and I had to think about it. Yes, I had a little Hebrew from my bar mitzvah, but I did not continue with Hebrew; I plunged into Greek and Latin, the other road. Perhaps that was a great mistake. If I had learned Hebrew properly, maybe I could have contributed to making Israel a more liberal, a more humane place. But I have forfeited that chance, and I have no right to criticise where I am not prepared to take the risks and to contribute. And the risks are of course enormous in Israel. But that does not mean one has to agree with their policy.”

[…]

Yehoshua has been widely, and erroneously, quoted as telling the AJC audience that Judaism outside Israel has no future. “The Diaspora has been around for over 2,500 years, and there is no reason that it shouldn’t last for another 2,500 years. I believe that just as there will be settlers in space and on Mars, there will also be Jewish communities who will still sing ‘next year in Jerusalem’. I am not as certain, I am sad to say, that the state of Israel will last another hundred years, if she doesn’t find a reasonable modus vivendi with her neighbours in general, and the Palestinians in particular.”

 
 
 
 

Reviews: Judis, Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict

Judis, John B. Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014.

 

Reviews

• Hirsch, Jordan Chandler. “Review.” Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2014.
• Heer, Jeet. “Genesis: An Even-Handed Look at Harry Truman, America and the Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict.” The Globe and Mail, February 14, 2014.
• Singal, Jesse. “Review.” Boston Globe, February 18, 2014.
• Dorman, Joseph. “Where It Began.” New York Times, March 5, 2014.
• Radosh, Ronald. “Original Sins.” Jewish Review of Books, Spring 2014.
• Scham, Paul L. “Very Much Present at the Creation.” Tikkun.
• Smith, Charles D. “Review.” Journal of Palestine Studies 44.3 (2015): 52-54.
• Sasson, Thodore. “Review.” American Jewish History 99.3 (2015): 273-5.

 

 

Response by John Judis: Conservative Critics Say My New Israel Book Is Anti-Semitic. They Must Not Have Read It Very Closely. New Republic, February 26, 2014.