Yair Sheleg explores in depth the views of Ruth Wisse, Professor of Hebrew Literature at Harvard. The article centers around the inability of Israelis to make their case to the world at large.
She calls it "hypocrisy in reverse." "A hypocritical person acts differently than to what he preaches. Israelis actually behave correctly, but are unable to ground this behavior in the suitable intellectual explanations: On the one hand, people are willing to risk their lives in a war, but on the other hand they are such cowards in the one battle that really matters - the battle of words and ideas. I see very talented and intelligent Israelis coming to Harvard and Yale, but they can't explain the Israeli position. The aim of intellectuals is to win the battle of ideas. But not only don't they fight this battle, they have really betrayed the concept of truth."
A little background:
Wisse, who speaks fluent Hebrew, has spent the past few months living in Israel. This week, she was the recipient of the Guardian of Zion award. The prize (which comes with a cash award of $35,000) is the initiative of the family of American Jewish millionaire Ira Rennert. It is awarded by the Center for Jerusalem Studies at Bar-Ilan University to an individual who, through his or her actions and beliefs, "has dedicated their lives to the perpetuation and strengthening of Jerusalem." In its seven years of existence, the award had been bestowed on such figures as writers Elie Wiesel and Herman Wouk, historian Martin Gilbert, and newspaper columnist Charles Krauthammer.
That, in a very small nutshell, is part of who she is. About the 'Roadmap," which is all I seem to blogging about these days, Wisse says:
Although she considers Sharon and Bush more sophisticated than Rabin and Clinton, she is nevertheless disappointed with the processes of the past few weeks. "Sharon should have said to Bush: `You are certainly important to us, but you should understand that we are also very important to you. The weaker you make us appear in their eyes, the more they will rise again. It will not be only against us, but also against you. You will prepare your next 9/11.' From Bush, I would expect him to say to the Arabs: 'Before you hear us giving a "hurray" to the Palestinian state, we want to hear you saying "hurray" to the Jewish state."
We can dream.
Shabbat Shalom.
