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Words of the Week: Ron Prosor

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

220px-RONPROSOR“Myth number one. Some nations seem to believe that a great injustice was done to the Palestinian people when the UN voted to partition then British-Mandate Palestine into two states. In fact, in 1947, Resolution 181 which divided the British Mandate over Palestine, speaks of the creation of a Jewish State no fewer than 25 times. The resolution declared that: ‘independent Arab and Jewish States shall come into existence.’

The Jews welcomed the plan and joyously declared a new state in their ancient homeland. But the Arabs rejected the plan and – joined by the armies of five Arab nations – launched a war of annihilation against the newly born Jewish state.

Sixty-five years later you still don’t hear the Palestinians talk about two states for two peoples. Sure, Palestinian leaders call for an independent Palestinian state, but they insist that the Palestinian people return to the Jewish state. This is a euphemism for the destruction of the State of Israel and a major hurdle to peace.”

Source: Text of speech to UN Security Council, by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, October 22, 2013. Read about Myths 2-5, too.

(I often think that Ambassador Prosor has one of the most thankless jobs in the world. For some insights into how he manages it, check out Yair Rosenberg’s recent Tablet article.)

From My Bookshelf: Between Friends, by Amos Oz

by Erika Dreifus on
3

BetweenFriendsI’ve only read smatterings of the work of Amos Oz, a weakness that I hope to rectify asap. I’m motivated by my recent reading of Between Friends, a story collection (translated by Sondra Silverston) that will certainly rank among the very best books that I’ve read this year.

The book comprises eight linked stories featuring characters who live on the same (fictional) kibbutz circa the 1950s. I borrowed the book from the library, but I may have to buy a copy of my own. In the meantime, eager to at least sample as much of Oz’s oeuvre as I can, I’ve ordered The Amos Oz Reader (edited by Nitza Ben Dov and tanslated by Nicholas de Lange), and I can’t wait to dive in.

Instead of attempting a full-fledged review, I’ll point you to some perspectives that echo many of mine. To wit: Marie’s take on The Boston Bibliophile and Ranen Omer-Sherman’s Forward review.

If you’re a New Yorker subscriber, you can find the book’s opening story, “The King of Norway,” in the magazine’s archive. Similarly, Harper’s subscribers have access to the second story, “Two Women.” (I’m disappointed that I can’t find the concluding story, “Esperanto,” online; it is, in my view, exceptionally good as a standalone piece as well as a perfect wrap-up for the linked collection.) And available to all: Tablet magazine’s superb interview with Oz, on the occasion of this book’s release.

Have any of you read Between Friends? And do you have any special suggestions as I attempt to consume as much of Oz’s writing as I can?

Words of the Week: Hen Mazzig

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled

My experiences in America have changed me. I never expected to encounter such hatred and lies. I never believed that such anti-Semitism still existed, especially in the U.S. I never knew that the battlefield was not just Gaza, the West Bank, and hostile Middle Eastern countries wanting to destroy Israel and kill our citizens and soldiers. It is also here in America, where a battle must be waged against prejudice and lies.

I implore American Jews: do more.

Source: Hen Mazzig, “An Israeli Soldier to American Jews: Wake up!”

Whose Gen-X Judaism?

by Erika Dreifus on
5

StarPeople are talking about “A Portrait of Jewish Americans: Findings from a Pew Research Center Survey of U.S. Jews.” I’ve tried to keep up with what they are saying, refraining, for the most part, from commenting. (There are many blessings that accompany having a full-time job; in my case, the luxury of focusing quickly, thoughtfully, and in writing on matters of great personal interest isn’t one of them.)

So, over the past several days, I’ve read and listened to others. I’ve found myself agreeing with plenty that some commenters, including Rabbi David Wolpe and Jane Eisner, have had to say. But when I read Elissa Strauss’s “Give Us Our Gen-X Judaism,” disagreement—and a sense of depression—ensued.

And this troubled me, not only because Strauss and I have had numerous agreeable exchanges in the past (even if we haven’t ever met face-to-face), but also because, unlike Wolpe or Eisner, I’m actually part of the cohort on whose behalf Strauss is ostensibly speaking, those “Gen Xers” who were born, as the Pew survey indicates, between 1965 and 1980. And “our” Gen-X Judaism, at least as outlined in Strauss’s post, is definitely not mine. (more…)

Jewish Literary Links for Shabbat

by Erika Dreifus on
3

Photo Credit: Reut Miryam Cohen
Every Friday morning My Machberet presents an assortment of Jewish-interest links, primarily of the literary variety.

  • If you’ve wondered how to introduce Anne Frank’s story to kids, you might want to check out this interview with Jane Kohuth, author of Anne Frank’s Chestnut Tree.
  • I’m hoping to spend part of this weekend watching a recording of “Women in Religious Texts and Contexts: New Voices in the Biographical Novel,” featuring Anita Diamant, Rebecca Kanner, and Sherry Jones.
  • Harvey Freedenberg reviews David Laskin’s The Family: Three Journeys into the Heart of the Twentieth Century.
  • Also instructive: David Horovitz’s conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi on the occasion of the latter’s Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation.
  • Learn more about author James Salter (né James Horowitz) in Rich Cohen’s Jewish Review of Books piece.

    • Shabbat shalom.