Words of the Week: Howard Jacobson
“Zionism is the expression of a people’s soul: It is a longing and a necessity, a Utopian fantasy, an understanding of history, a solution, an act of reasoning, an act of despair, a prayer, a poem, and a song. Hate the poetry of my soul and you hate me.”
Source: Howard Jacobson’s “Advice to a Jewish Freshman,” a must-read from the latest Sapir Journal.
UPDATE: I’ve just learned that Jacobson will discuss this essay with Sapir’s editor-in-chief Bret Stephens next Thursday, November 18. Details/Zoom registration can be found here.
I love this sentence. It is the right sentence for the present contradictory, scary and painful moment.
I thought so, too! But practically the entire piece is quote-worthy. We are lucky to have scribes like him at this moment.
Beautifully said, and also supported by the reality of needing a homeland which can rescue you when you need a visa from a country that will let you in. I speak from experience, having been a Kindertransport child in 1939, whereas my parents had to emigrate to Shanghai because no other country offered them entrance.
Thank you for sharing that, Rita.
This is wonderful! I’dlike every student to read it before starting their degrees!
I so agree, Cathy–and not just in the U.K.!