Why ari shavit should have been discredited, but wasnt by ruthie blum. Shavit, the author of the acclaimed 20 book my promised land. Like the thousands of american reform jews who hung on his every word, i knew shavit only from his writing. The egyptian air force bombed tel aviv early in the war, and lydda sat adjacent to israels only real airport. And back then, i felt i knew him well after reading his. Ari shavit draws on interviews, historical documents, private diaries, and letters, as well as his own familys story, illuminating the pivotal moments of the zionist century to tell a riveting narrative that is larger than the sum of its parts. In july 1948 the israeli army attacked the palestinian village of lydda, located. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read my promised land. It takes a wideangle and often personal view of israels past and present, and frequently reads like a love story and a thriller at once. A new book by haaretz journalist ari shavit won rare compliments in recent weeks from the liberal jewish elite in the united states.
The triumph and tragedy of israel, by the haaretz columnist and editorialboard member ari shavit. The author, ari shavit, a proud israeli citizen, sees his country as a land careening toward disaster unless and until it threads the needle out of the vortex in which it now finds itself. Zionism carries out a massacre in the city of lydda. Ari shavits new bookis a gale of conversation, of feeling, of foreboding, of ratiocination. The most important book to come out of israel in years. Both movingly inspiring and at times heartbreakingly painful, my promised land tells the story of the jewish state as it has never been told before, capturing both the triumph and the torment of israels. This new book is a must read for anyone wishing to understand the complexity of the competing ideologies, nationalisms, politics, cultures, religions, ethnicities, histories, and. I was blind to the power i had as a privileged white man twenty months after he disappeared from the public eye and left haaretz, journalist ari shavit met with dr. Ari shavit has carefully researched, and thoroughly laid out, the path of the jews over the last troubled century. The contrition and confusion of ari shavit moment magazine. My promised land, by ari shavit the new york times. Kramer went on to dissect the 30page chapter titled lydda, 1948. He includes all relevant information, including the settlements, peace nego. A couple of prominent jewish writersleon wieseltier and thomas freidmanpraised the book on the pages of the new york times, the new yorkers editor held a party for the book and its author at his.
Ari shavit, one of israels most prominent journalists and the author of new york times bestseller my promised land, has resigned from two of his media roles after two women accused him of. Ari shavit is a well known, leftleaning israeli journalist and a columnist for haaretz israels oldest daily newspaper. The zionist story, retold by the elite, for the elite. What struck me most forcefully, then, was the willful blindness of zionist pioneers such as shavits greatgrandfather, herbert bentwich, who came to palestine from britain. At a certain point in the conversation, at least one person will bring up ari shavits bestselling book, my promised land. Journalist ari shavit wrestles with complexity of israel. Ari shavit, author of my promised land journalist ari shavit says israel must find a way to reconcile its democratic values with the reality of everyday life there. Perhaps no book by an israeli has ever been promoted as massively in america as my promised land. Ari shavit quits media roles after sexual harassment. Go into any jewish community in the united states these days and spend a few hours talking to people. Ari shavit, my promised land perhaps no book by an israeli has ever been promoted as massively in america as my promised land.
In 1905, two years after zionism first arrived in the lydda valley, a jewish. How a confusing urban battle between two sides was transformed into a onesided massacre of helpless victims. To take personal ownership of an entire nation, as ari shavit does of israel with the very title of his first englishlanguage book, might seem an act of lets use yiddish chutzpah. The accusations led shavit to resign as a columnist at haaretz and commentator on israels channel 10. The triumph and tragedy of israel, is a gale of conversation, of feeling, of foreboding, of ratiocination. Where youre standing makes a big difference in how you feel about ari shavits book. Martin kramer shows how ari shavit manipulates and distorts israeli history. Why ari shavit should have been discredited, but wasnt.
Lydda, 1948 was shavits most talkedabout chapter, and was published in the. Shavit relates the history of israel from early zionist days in the late 19th century to the present through examples of archetypical. Mr shavit is that rare person who can listen as intensely as he can think the economist shavits accomplishment is so unlikely, so total a history of israel and zionism written by an unapologetic and impassioned lover of his country who nonetheless fully registers the disasters inflicted on palestinians that it makes you believe. Truman, american jews, and the origins of the arabisraeli conflict by john b.
By evening, tens of thousands of palestinian arabs leave lydda in a long. Presentation by ari shavit, haaretz journalist and winner of the 20 national jewish book award in history, on february 14, 2014 at uc berkeley. In 1947, just before the establishment of israel, lehmann asked the director. Ari shavits my promised land is without question one of the most important books about israel and zionism that i have ever read. Shavit, a onetime paratrooper, now a columnist, tackles this complex history in his new book, my promised land. But he goes on to say that the conquest of lydda and the expulsion of its.
Winner of the natan book award, the national jewish book award, and the. Shavits book further entrenches a local and global the book was written originally. In his celebrated new book, ari shavit claims that zionism. The triumph and tragedy of israel ebook written by ari shavit. The widely praised book distorts history and hurts the chances for peace. In shavits very deceptive and even contradictory recounting, israeli soldiers led by a certain lt. But, ultimately, it is the palestinians responsibility to overcome the painful past. A valuable new book its success indicates something intriguing. There are two important stories about my promised land, israeli journalist ari shavits memoir cum interviews cum meditation on israel.
Sandbox blog 122614 martin kramer says israelis have no clue that ari shavit has added a massacre in the city of lydda to the litany of israels alleged crimes in 1948. Fortyfive years after it came into the lydda valley in the name of the. Take the case of ari shavit, the renowned columnist for israels haaretz newspaper. The triumph and tragedy of israel, has received plaudits from the cream of the liberal, american, political elite.
Lydda, ari shavit in thirty minutes, at high noon, more than 200 civilians are killed. Shavit employs two methods that present important issuesnarratives and interviews of people how experienced these changes and an explanation of the effect of these events. Ari shavits history of israel, entitled my promised land. I started my promised land five months ago, during the tenuous ceasefire following last summers conflict between israel and hamas in gaza. Watching shavit speak in orlando was my first and only encounter with him, despite our common employer. The triumph and tragedy of ari shavits my promised land. Orit kamir, the lawyer and legal scholar who drafted the israeli law against sexual harassment, for a frank and fraught conversation about the affair in which american jewish journalist danielle berrin claimed he.
Lydda is the black box of zionism, shavit writes in the new yorker. Much has been written already about ari shavits my promised land the triumph and tragedy of israel just published. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Martin kramer says israelis have no clue that ari shavit. Ari shavit, the popular haaretz columnist, has come out with just such a. I read the book last night, and i couldnt put it down, not because it. The triumph and tragedy of israel, ari shavit by thewanderingjew see profile 12. The triumph and tragedy of israel reissue by shavit, ari isbn. In this portion shavit declares that, in israel, the jewish renaissance was.
An authoritative and deeply personal narrative history of the state of israel. Jewish readers eager to revive a passion for israel at a time when israel is. Which brings us to the latest in this genre, lydda, 1948 the new yorker, october 21, 20 written by the wellknown and talented israeli journalist ari shavit. A week after the talk, i read israeli journalist ari shavits my promised land. The triumph and tragedy of israel, was a popular speaker on the jewish state across the united states for many years. Shavits book provides an indepth portrait of contemporary israeli society in a way that few recent books haveor have even attempted.
Invariably, a prominent member of the group will say, with. Opinion something for barack and bibi to talk about the new. The triumph and tragedy of israel by ari shavit spiegel and grau, 445 pp. Martin kramer doubts claim of a massacre in 1948 by israelis historians in the news tags. Wieseltier writes it is one of the achievements of ari shavits important and powerful book to recover the feeling of israels facticity and to revel in it, to restore the grandeur of the simple fact in full view of the complicated facts. A discussion with ari shavit, senior correspondent at haaretz, about his recent book, my promised land. In a certain sense, this is a waiting for godot story in which it appears that no solution is anywhere in sight. In 30 minutes, at high noon, more than 200 civilians are killed. We meet shavits greatgrandfather, a british zionist who in 1897 visited the holy land on a thomas cook tour and understood that it was the way of the future for his people. Martin kramer doubts claim of a massacre in 1948 by israelis. He describes the twentieth century history of israel and analyzes the present situation.