Hot Off the Presses

Uri Bialer, one of Israel's most prominent historians, has recently come out with a book on the relations between the State of Israel and the Christan World between 1948 and 1967, entitled "Cross on the Star of David" (also available in Hebrew). Highly recommended.

The Carrot and the Stick - Israeli Universities

In his editorial on the sorry state of education in the state of Israel, David Hazony does not spare the universities. In his opinion, and in mine as well, standards for courses have been greatly reduced, to the point that any addition to the task burden in courses leads to a student outcry. There are various reasons for this state of affairs, such as the fact that most undergraduate students have to finish their degree at the breakneck speed of three years - in addition to holding down a job or other responsibilities. The students thus legitimately complain that they simply have no time to invest more than the minimum required for each course they take (often 8 or more a semester).

There are of course various ways to solve this problem. Standards can and should be raised. Students should have the option of 'spreading' their responsibilities over 4-5 years, thus enabling them to gain more from their studies (de facto, this is what happens, since many students invariably spend another year or two making up missing courses, often being penalized for doing so by the universities). Such suggestions, however, are only part of the solution, since they recommend more enforcement, but ignore the lack of motivation on the part of the student to excel in their studies.

Indeed, why should they? Mima Nafshach, if the student is aiming for an M.A. or a PhD, they will likely give short shrift to investing in 'mere' undergraduate studies - the scholarships and the fame are almost exclusively limited to M.A. earners and above. If, on the other hand, the student simply wants the degree for a pay increase or because of societal demands, why should s/he bother excelling? Excellence can not be increased by enforcement alone - it must also be encouraged and rewarded. Your prospective student should know that there is something to be gained by spending more time on their studies, other than the private satisfaction of having done a good job.

I think that one way to do so would be to set up an undergraduate online journal for each faculty. Students should be encouraged to write their papers with an eye towards having their material published in the journal. Also, online debating forum and the writing of "blogs" should be encouraged as a way for students and teachers to share information outside of the confines of the classroom.

If any of you have other suggestions, feel free to 'drop' them in the comments box. AIWAC

The Return of 'Diasporism'

"The Jews' problem is not that they are not assimilable, but rather that they are too assimilable" - paraphrasing of Cecil Roth

It is a common assumption that Jewish anti-Zionism in its various forms died out, or was marginalized, by the twin blows of the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel. Especially shaken, according to this view, was the 'diaspora' ideal, which actively negated the concept of Jewish self-determination, and exalted the concept of Jewish subject communities throughout various countries. The 'symbiosis' of various communities with their host countries (take your pick - Germany/Iraq/Britain Morocco/Soviet Union etc) were touted as proof of this vision. The Holocaust drove this movement underground, at least for a time.

I think it can be now stated that Jewish anti-Zionism in the form of 'diasporism' is now back in full swing. True, it never completely died, but even non-Zionists, at least for a time, accepted the reality of a Jewish state. Now, however, it is a full-blown, fully legitamized intellectual movement, comprised mainly of intellectuals and academics of varying calibers, united in their hatred of Jewish nationalism in any form, and determined to return to the 'good old days' of Jews 'fertilizing' other cultures. A good example of this is Reuven Snir's article in the 2003 Issue of Middle Eastern Studies on the 'Jew-Arab' golden age, as well as Eric Hobsbawm's and Henry Wasserman's lament of the glorious German-Jewish tradition, destroyed by the evil manipulative, narrow-minded Zionists.

There are those of you who will respond that this is a 'lunatic-fringe' phenomenon, a collection of the usual self-hating Jews. Sadly, this is simply not true. At least in Israel, this movement has gained respectability and even semi-official recognition. Articles by 'diasporists' are often written up in Ha'Aretz, and their books are published by 'establishment' publishing houses such as Am Oved, HaKibutz HaMeuchad, and the Van Leer Institute. Moreover, these scholars, together with 'critical sociologists' and 'new historians', are often in senior positions in their universities, ready to mold young minds against the evil Zionism and to exalt the diaspora. More to the point, there exists no comparable intellectual movement to stem the steady erosion of Zionist values accomplished by this and other movements.

I don't know about you, but I am increasingly having less and less faith in our ability to stem this tide. AIWAC