c-7403 transcription friedman, thomas l. address. introduction...

C-7403 Transcription

Friedman, Thomas L. Address. Introduction and remarks by

Herbert A. Friedman. 14 July 1988.

Herbert A. Friedman:

We have a very, um...very lovely, good, um, session for you

now. Um...there’s nobody uh gonna pounce on Mr. Friedman’s eve-

that Mr. Friedman’s every word. [laughs] There’s nobody going to

ask for interpretations of uh clauses and commas. There’s nobody

gonna ask for whether he is authorized to say what he is saying.

In other words, all of the tensions that were in many of the

previous sessions, don’t exist, don’t exist. What we have here

is an erudite...professional observer, and, probably, one of the

people on this earth who has observed more, in terms of number

of years [01:00], and more in terms of geography, and more in

terms of the leading actors on the strange, in both places, in

Lebanon and here, than probably anyone else you will ever meet.

Uh, for those of you who come from that city in the far

north, near the Canadian border [laughs] [applause, chatter from

audience]. I call that the imported clack, he brought it here

with him. Thomas L. Friedman was born in Minneapolis [applause

and cheers]. No, that is not Detroit [laughs]...[02:00] He, um,

Rabbi Herbert A. Friedman Collection, C-7403. American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, Ohio.

1

herre’e s nobody uh gogonnnnaaa popounce on Mr. Frieiedm

iedman’s every worddd. [l[[laughs] There’s nobod

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rds, all ofoo ttthehh tttensiiiooons thththatt wwwerrre ee in many

ssssions, dddononon’t’’t eeexixixistss ,,, dododon’ttt exexexisisst.t.t. WWWhat wee h

tee...profffessssiiionnnalll oobsbsbserererveeerrr, anndn ,,, ppprobablyyy,

hisss earth wwwhohoho hasasas oobsbsbserererveveved dd mooorerere, in termmms o

1:00]0]], ananand more in tetetermrmrmss ofofof geograppphyhyhy, and

e leadidiingngng aaactcc ors on ttthehehe strange, innn bbboth pl

here, thahaannn prprprobobobabbbllly anyoneee elelelsesese you will e

r those of you whwhwhooo cococomememe frooommm that city in t

the Canadian border [laughs] [applause ch

he had a good, classy education. He went, did- went to Brandeis

University, and then he went to se- eh, Oxford, and um, St.

Anthony’s College is the place [lone cheer from crowd;

laughter]...Have we got one? How ‘bout...I can’t believe it was

you! [laughs] [unclear] went to St. Anthony’s. If you go back,

for some reason, there’s a very long history, relationship with

that uh, between that college and leading Israelis. And, um,

came here to the Middle East. In April ’82, he was assigned by

the New York Times to be the Beirut bureau chief. ’82 is when

the invasion into Lebanon took place, within a couple of months,

uh, [03:00] after he got there. Two years later, he was

transferred to be the bureau chief here in Jerusalem. So he has

seen it from both sides. He was taken off the assignment here in

Jerusalem in, uh, earlier this year, in ’88, so that he could

complete a book, and the title of the book seemed to me to be in

her, although it’s probably going to be changed, but

it’s...work- oh, that’s the final title? “From Beirut to

Jerusalem.” And in January of ’89, when this well-disciplined

and professional man, who will stick to his dates, finishes that

book, he will be transferred to Washington and he will become

the chief diplomatic correspondent for the New York Times,

nothing less [applause].


2

tweeene that collegee annnd dd leleading Israelis.. An

o the Middle East. InInn AApril ’82, he was ass

k Timmmeseses tttooo bebebe ttthehehe BBBeieieirururut bububurerereauauau ccchihihiefefef. ’82

n inttooo Lebababannnonn n tookkk pppllacecce, wiwiwittthininin a cccouoo ple

after heee gototot thehehere. TTTwo yeyeyearrsss laaatett r, he wa

ttto be thththeee bubburerereauauau chihihiefefef hhhererereee ininn JJJerrrusalemm.

m both siiideees... HHHe wawawasss tatatakekekennn oooffff thththeee assignnnme

n, uh, earlllieieier rr thththisisis yyyeaeaear,r,r, iiin ’8’8’8888, so thaatat h

book,k,k, andndnd the tttitititlelele ooofff thththee bbbook seeeemememed d d to m

gh it’sss ppprororobabb bly goinining gg to be channngeeed,d,d, but

- oh, that’t’t’sss thththeee fififinalll titititltlle?e?e? “““FrFrFrom Beirut

And in Januaryyy ooof ff ’8’8’89,9,9, wheeennn this well-disc

ional man who will stick to his dates fin

Is...he picked [04:00] up two Pulitzer Prizes along the

way. Two! Not one. One in ’83, for his reporting in Beirut, and

one in ‘88 for his reporting from Israel. Plus a whole host of

other technical uh, uh awards, um, in the journalist profession,

and um...and he’s a uh, on top of everything else, a charming,

educated, good, Jew. Takes part in a lot of the Hartman

Institute programs and um, had no hesitation in accepting this

assignment, even though it interrupts his own private life of

his writing, and if you are a writer you know that every time

anybody busts into you, it not only disturbs the train of

thought for those few hours, but you’re on edge because you

gotta...[05:00] sit down and spend some time thinking over what

you want to say, and then everything gets uh, garbled up. But he

said yes, and he did so with good, good willingness, and we’re

very happy to have him here today, and I’m happy to present Mr.

Tom Friedman. [applause]

Thomas L. Friedman:

Thank you



3

roggrar ms and um, hadad nnnooo hehesitation in accecept

even though it intterrrrrrupts his own private

, anddd iiif f f yoyoyouuu ararareee a aa wrwrwritititer yyyououou kkknononoww w thththaat eve

ts intototo yououou,, ititit nottt ooonnlyyy distststuuurbsbsbs thehehe train

those feeewww hohohouruu s,s,s, buttt you’r’r’re ononon eeedgdgdge becaus

:0000] sittt dododowwwn aaandndnd spepependndnd sssomomomeee titiimememe ttthinkinng

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to hahaave hhhim hereee tototodadaday,yy andndnd I’m happppypypy ttto pr

n. [apppplalalausususe]ee

riedman:

you

...oh the subject, the subject, somebody wrote down

was...[indistinct from audience] Yeah, right...[laughs]...”An

ideal formula for Israeli diaspora relations”

Thomas L. Friedman:

Thank you, Herb. Um, I know there’s a lot of people who

wanted me to talk about the press, and uh, I wasn’t invited to

do that, so...maybe later, much later, next year [laughs] um, we

can talk about that. But I really was invited to talk about

Israel diaspora relations, and that’s what I’m going to do.

Um, my speech here is really uh...draws on some ideas I’ve

been working on for my book [06:00], so it’s written in

chapters, to some extent, or subchapters, and I hope they will

all meet at the end to form a whole.

There’s a joke, uh, that when the British were about to uh

dig the tunnel under the, uh, English Channel, uh they put out

bids for who would dig the tunnel. And they got bids of one

billion and two billion and three billion. They got one bid from

the Upper East End of London, uh, for a hundred thousand

dollars, by a, the firm of Goldberg and Cohen. So they thought,

well, we better check this out. I mean, uh, who can dig a tunnel

under the English Channel for a hundred thousand dollars? So


4

o ttala k about the prpressss,ss aand uh, I wasn’tt in

...maybe later, muchh lallattet r, next year [laug

out ttthahahat.t.t. BBBututut III rrreaeaealllllly y y wasss inininvivivitetetedd d tototo talk

pora rererelatititiooons,s,s, anddd ttthhat’tt’s whwhwhaata III’m’’ gggoioo ng t

speech hhheree ee isii rrreallllyyy uh.......dddrararawsss on some i

g on for rr mymymy bbooooookkk [0[[ 6:6:6:000000],,, sssooo ititt’sss wwwrittenn i

o some exxxteeenttt, orrr subububchchchapapapttterrrs,,, aaandd d I hopeee t

thhhe end tooo ffforoo mmm a aa whwhwholololeee.

s a jjjoke,e,e, uh, ttthahahat whwhwhenenen ttthehehe Britishhh wwwererere ab

nel undnddererer ttthehh , uh, EnEnEnglglglish Channeeel, uuh they

o would ddigigig ttthehehe tunnelll. AAndndnd ttthehehey y y got bids o

two billion annnd dd thththrerereeee billllioioion. They got on

ast End of London uh for a hundred thousa

they sent a man out there and Mr. Goldberg answered the phone,

Cohen was on the road, and said, “Mr. Goldberg, how in the world

can you dig a tunnel for a hundred thousand dollars?” And he

said, [affected accent], “Very easy. What’s the problem? I’ll

start one side with a shovel. Mr. Cohen will start on the other

side with a shovel [07:00], and we’ll dig until we meet.” So

they guy said, “What if you don’t meet?” “So you’ll have two

tunnels!” So I don’t know if you’re gonna have two talks today

or ten talks, or whatever, I hope they’ll all meet [laughter].

Some people remember where they were when President Kennedy

was shot. Others can recall where they sat when the space

shuttle Challenger went down. I remember where I was the day I

discovered Israel. I don’t mean discovered it on a map. I mean

the day Israel entered my consciousness and became something of

an obsession. It was June 6th, 1967. I was sitting in the family

room of our home in Minneapolis and the 5:30 PM CBS National

News was on. And Walter Cronkite was sitting there with a map of

Israel and the Sinai desert superimposed behind him, and was

reading the first news about Israel’s dramatic victory in the

SixDay War. Although I had attended Hebrew school as a young boy

[08:00], gone to Jewish summer camps, been Bar Mitvahed, Israel

had never really meant that much to me before that day. But


5

id, “What if you dodon’ttt memeet?” “So you’lll ha

o I don’t know if youuu’r’’re gonna have two tal

s, orrr wwwhahahatetetevevever,r,r, III hhhopopopeee theyeyey’l’l’llll alalallll mememeeet [la

eoplee rrremememembbberr r wherrreee ttheyeey wererereee whwhwhenee PPPrerr side

thers cannn receccalaa lll wherrreee theyeyey satatat wwwhehh n the sp

llllenger wwwenenenttt dododownwnwn... III rereremeeembmbmbererer wwwhehehereee I wass t

Issrael. III dddonnn’ttt mmmeaeaeannn dididiscccoooveeereede iiitt t on a mmmap

aelll entereddd mmmy yy cococonsnsn ciciciououousnsnsnesesess anananddd became som

n. ItItt wasasas June 666th,,, 191919676767. I was sittttinii ggg in t

home iiin nn MiMiMinnnn eapolisss ananand the 5:3000 PPPM M M CBS Na

. And Walteteterrr CrCrCronoo kikikitte was sssititittititingngng there wit

the Sinai deserrrttt sususupepeperiririmposssededed behind him, a

first news about Israel’s dramatic victory

after June 6th, 1967, I was never really the same. Like some many

American Jews of my generation, I was momentarily swept up by

the heroic Israel, which made me feel different about myself as

a Jew. During high school, I spent my summer vacations living on

a kibbutz not far from here, and Israel in a way became an

extension of my Jewish summer camp. It was an exciting time to

be in Israel. Everything was in motion, the economy was booming,

and although there was a deadly war of attrition going on along

the Suez Canal, it hadn’t wiped, or erased, the gleam on the

cheeks of the Israeli boys. Everything and everyone in the

country seemed larger than life. Every soldier was a hero, every

politician was a statesmen, every girl was a knockout. With the

kibbutz teenagers my age, there were trips to the Sinai, hikes

to the Golan, and long afternoons on the Mediterranean beach.

After dinner [09:00] we used to sit around the kibbutz lawn,

listening over and over again to the James Taylor singing “Rock-

a-bye Sweet Baby Jane.” I taught them how to play baseball, and

they taught me how to identify different fighter planes in the

Israeli air force, something which came in very handy when I

ended up in Beirut.

The kibbutz was full of lost Jews, some from Europe, some

from America, who had flocked to Israel in hopes of finding


6

l. EvE erything was iin momm tition, the economyy wa

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r [09099:00]0]0] we usededed tttooo sisisittt arararound theee kkkibibibbutz

ver andndd oooveveverrr again tototo ttthe James TTTayyylololor sing

Baby Jane.e.e.””” III tatt ughtht tthhem hohohowww tototo play base

me how to idennntititifyfyfy dddifififfereeentntnt fighter plane

force something which came in very handy

themselves. They were a kind of Jewish foreign legion. Most of

them lasted for a summer and never came back, but I was hooked.

Whatever I was looking for, I found. I guess it was an identity.

During those summers I was constantly challenged by my Israeli

hosts with the same question, “Nu? Nu? When are you going to

make Aliyah? When are you going to immigrate? What is there for

you in America? Here, here is where you belong.” Somehow I

always managed to mumble my way out of these challenges, usually

with something about how wonderful Minneapolis is with all its

lakes. I liked the way Israel made me feel as an American Jew

[10:00], but I was never convinced that Israeli identity could

be an end in itself.

Then a decade passed. There was college, graduate school,

and eventually a career in journalism that by quirk of fate

brought me back to Jerusalem as the correspondent for the New

York Time in 1984. Upon arrival, I braced myself for that

question beginning, “Nu? When are you going to immigrate?” But

it never came. When it did come, it wasn’t “Nu, when are you

making Aliyah?” but rather “Nu, how do I get a green card?” or

“Nu, what’s it like to live in New York City?” or “Nu, can I

really get a job in Los Angeles?” After enough such

conversations with Israelis, it became clear to me that


7

icaa?? Here, here iss whwhheree e e you belong.” Somomeh

ged to mumble my way oooutt t of these challenge

ing aaaboboboututut hhhowowow wwwononondedederfrfrfululul Minininneneneapapapolololisisis iiiss with

ked tthehehe wayayay Isrsrsrael mamamadde mme fefefeeeel aaasss ananan Ameri

t I was nnnevee ererr conononvincccedee thahahat IsIsIsraaaelee i identi

n itself.f.f.

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n 1984.4. UUUpopoponnn arrival,l,l, II braced myyyseeelflflf for t

ginning, “““NuNuNu??? WWWhehh n are you gogogoinining g g tot immigra

me. When it dididd cccomomome,e,e, iiit waaassnsn’t “Nu, when a

ah?” but rather “Nu how do I get a green c

something profound had changed in the America-Israel

relationship, between those heady days after the ’67 War, and

the sober aftermath of the Lebanon invasion. Israel was founded

on the radical thesis that the diaspora was not a viable

solution for Jewish national existence [11:00], that Jews could

not survive for long, either culturally or physically, in the

diaspora, and hence they had to have a homeland of their own.

Israel was going to be the center of the world with its own

original Hebrew culture and all Jews were supposed to move

there. America, America in the mind of Israel, was supposed to

be little more than an afterthought.

For Israel’s founding fathers, coming out of the diaspora,

that vision may have been true at one time, but no longer.

Today, America, with its bounty, its pluralism, and endless

opportunities for Jews and other minorities, is disproving that

thesis. America, in fact, has become the greatest threat to the

Zionist revolution, and as powerful a magnet for Jews as Israel.

Not only have Israel and America been quietly competing for

years over Jews leaving the Soviet Union, Argentina or South

Africa, they are now competing for Israelis themselves. Roughly

one out of ten Israelis now live in America, a point that was

graphically driven home to me by my high school history teacher


8

nd heh nce they had tto hahah veve a homeland of tthe

going to be the centeteerrr of the world with it

brew cucucultltltururureee ananand d d alalallll JeJeJews wwwererereee susuupppppposososeed to

ica, AmAmAmericicicaaa ininin theee mmmiinddd of IIIsraeaeael,ll wwwasaa sup

ore than anaa aaaftf erererthouuughgg t.

raaael’s fffouououndndndininnggg fafafathhhererers,ss cccomomominininggg ouououttt of thhe

mmmay haveee bbbeeeen trrrueueue aaattt onnneee tttimmme,,, bbub t no lllon

icaaa, with iiitststs bououountntntyyy, iiitststs pppluuurararalllism, andd d en

es fofoor JeJeJews anddd othththererer mmmiininorororiiities, iiisss dididispro

rica, iiin nn fafafactcc , has bebebecococome the greeeatttesesest thre

olution, anananddd asasas powerfffulll a mamamagngngnetetet for Jews

ve Israel and AAAmememeririricacaca bbbeen qququietly competin

Jews leaving the Soviet Union Argentina or

[12:00], Marjory Bingham, who told me while on a visit to

Jerusalem in 1987, “Tom, when you were in high school, you and

all your friends went to Israel. Now I have three Israelis in my

class.”

At the same time, many American Jews seem to be reassessing

their views about Israel. The Lebanon War, the Pollard spy

scandal, and finally the Palestinian uprising in the occupied

territories, have combined to produce a combined rethinking by

many American Jews of their relationship to Israel and its role

in their own identity. Where this rethinking will end is not

easy to predict, but it is clear, it is undeniably clear, that

the relationship between Israeli Jews and American Jews, and

between America and Israel, is radically changing from that

moment on June 6th, 1967, when Walter Cronkite introduced me to

my Jewish identity and introduced Israel to America.

What I’d like to talk here for the next forty minutes or so

is basically...[13:00] how that relationship between American

Jews and Israeli Jews, and between America and Israel, has

changed, and then, a few words on what the ideal relationship

might be.

Israel, in the mind of American Jews, has always touched

two emotional chords. One, pride, the other, fear. As such,


9

d ffini ally the Palesestitiininn anan uprising in thehe o

, have combined to prrrodooduce a combined rethi

an Jeeewswsws ooofff thththeieieirrr rererelalalatititionshshshipipip tttooo IsIsIsrararaeel and

n ideentntntity.y.y. Whehehere ttthihihiss rerrethhinininkkkingngng wililillll end

dict, buttt itt isii ccclearrr,, it iiis ununundeeeninn ably cle

nssship betetetweweweeeen IIIsrsrsraeaa lilili JJJewwwsss ananandd AmAmAmerrrican JJew

riiica and Isssraaaelll, isisis rrradadadicicicaaalllly chahahannnging frrrom

uneee 6th, 19676767, whhhenene WWWalallteteterrr CCCronononkikikite introooduc

dentitiity aaand intttrororodududucececed dd IIsIsrararael to Ammmererericicica.

’d likkeee tototo tttalk hereee ffforoo the nexttt fofoforrty min

y...[13:00]0]0] hhhowowow thahh tt relllatitiionononshshshipipip between A

raeli Jews, andndd bbbetetetweweweenenen Ameeeriririca and Israel,

d then a few words on what the ideal relat

Israel has always played two roles for American Jews. One, as a

visible symbol which places the Jew in the world and integrates

him with pride and dignity, and the other, as a haven that could

pred- protect the Jew from the world. Between 1948 and 1967, the

balance between these two emotional chords was very much

weighted toward Israel as a safe haven, and not as a symbol of

‘my identity.’ Of course, American Jews took pride in Israel,

but it was a quiet and understated pride, the sort of pride you

take in a good charity. Israel was a good charity, a charity you

could be proud of. Some people gave their money to the synagogue

[14:00], some people gave to Mt. Sinai Hospital, and other

people planted trees in Israel. Israel was a blue and white

Keren Kayemeth box you dropped coins in every week at Hebrew

school. Only in a small way did Israel culturally begin to

inject itself into American Jewish life and become a source of

Jewish identity. Hebrew schools began to proliferate, people

played “Hava Nagila’ instead of Eastern European songs at

weddings, and danced the hora and other Israeli dances, but that

was really about it. The more important role played by Israel in

the mind of American Jews was as a bomb shelter. Israel as bomb

shelter. Israel as haven against persecution. American Jews saw

it a place- Israel as a place where survivors of the Holocaust


10

y.’’ Of course, Amerericiccanaa JJews took pride iin

a quiet and understtatattedeed pride, the sort of

ood ccchahahaririritytyty... IsIsIsrararaelelel wwwasasas a gggooooood d d chchcharararititityy, a c

oud oof.f.f. Somomomeee pepepeopleee gggaaveee thheieieir momomonenn y yy tott the

me peopleee gavavave ee tototo Mt... Sinaiaiai HHososospiiitatt l, and o

teeed treeseses iiinnn IsIsIsrararaelee ... IsIsIsraaaelelel wwwasss aaa bbblue annd

ettht box yyyouuu dddroooppppededed cccoioioinsss innn eeeveeeryyy week aaat

y iiin a smallllll waww y y y didididdd IsIsIsrararaelelel ccculululttturally bbebegi

lf ininnto AAAmericannn JeJeJewiwiwishshsh lllifffe and beeecococomememe a s

tity. HHHebebebrererew ww schoolsss bebebegan to proooliiifefeferate,

a Nagila’ iiinsnsnsteteteadaa offf EEa tsterrrn n n EuEuEurororopean songs

nd danced the hhhorororaaa ananand d d otheeerrr Israeli dances

about it The more important role played by

could gather, and where other Jews driven from their native

lands by persecution might also go and seek shelter. Israel was

looked upon as a source of Jewish power and real estate that

could protect Jews, but even when American Jews saw Israel as a

haven [15:00], most American Jews thought of it as a haven for

other Jews, refugee Jews, displaced Jews, but not for American

Jews.

Before, uh, 1967, an American friend of mine used to tell

me that, in his family Israel was where they sent used clothing.

Uh, really, he said, “when I outgrew my shirts and pants, we put

them in a box and sent them to Israel. That is how I thought of

the place, a place you sent used clothes.” After June 1967,

however, the perception of Israel in the mind of American Jews

shifted radically, from Israel as safe haven for other Jews, to

Israel as the symbol of my own Jewish communal identity. The

transition can only be understood, I think, in the context of

the Six Day Day, first the fear that many people had before the

war, of Israel’s destruction, impending destruction, and then

the dramatic way in which Israel defeated three Arab armies at

once. Um, [16:00] it was so dramatic, in fact, and came as such

a surprise, both to Israeli Jews and American Jews, and it was

in such contrast to what they expected, that it simply blew them


11

, uh, 1967, an Ameriiicacacan friend of mine used

his fafafamimimilylyly IIIsrsrsraeaeaelll wawawasss whererereee thththeyeyey sssenenentt used

he saiaiaid,d “““wwwhenenen I oooutututggreweew my y y shiririrtstt aaandnn pan

ox and seeentnn ttthehh mm m to IIIsssrael.l.l. TThahahat isii how I t

a place yyyououou senenenttt usuu ededed ccclooothththeseses ”.”” AAAftftfter Junne

e pperceptttiooon offf IIIsrsrsraeaeaelll ininin thhhe mininindd d of Ameeeri

icaaally, frooom mm IsII rararaelelel aaasss sasasafefefe hhhavavaveeen for otthther

he syyymbololol of my ownn JJJewewewiisish communalll iiidededentit

can onlnlly y y bebebe understooooood,d,d I think, innn ttthe con

Day, firststst ttthehehe fear ththth tat mmmanananyyy pepepeople had b

ael’s destructitiiononon,,, imimimpepependinnnggg destruction, a

c way in which Israel defeated three Arab a

away. It was so powerful, in fact, that it made some American

Jews feel that there would never be another Holocaust. It almost

cured them of this trauma. “After such a victory, who needs a

safe haven anymore?” said some American Jews. “Look who we are!

We have power. We are not the Shylock image. We are ace pilots.

We are not the cowering, timid Jews who get sand kicked in their

faces. We’re tank commanders! We’re not pale-faced wimps. We’re

the Hathaway man, handsome, charismatic generals, with

eyepatches!” The whole image of the running, craven Jew, who

checks the exits as soon as he arrives in a new country, was

partially healed by the Six Day War. American Jews were Israel,

and Israel was them, and many of them could not embrace it

enough as a symbol as source of identity. Gentiles in

Minneapolis used to say to me about Israel [17:00], “boy, your

people over there are something!” and we would respond, “boy,

they sure are! Those are my people.”

For American Jews, Israel became their visible body on the

world stage, not in 1948 when the state was created, but only

after 1967 when it captured their imaginations. The impact of

the ’48 war on American Jews was relief, relief that the

survivors of the Holocaust had a place to go, but the impact of

the ’67 war was pride and a symbol of Jewish identity. Israel,


12

e ttana k commanders! WeWee’r’re e not pale-faced wwim

y man, handsome, chhharrrisiismatic generals, with

” Theee wwwhohoholelele iiimamamagegege ooofff thththe rururunnnnnninining,g,g, cccrararavvven Je

exits aaas sososoooon aaas heee aaarrrivives iiinnn aaa nenn www cocc untr

ealed by thtt ee SiSS xxx Day WaWW r. AAAmeeririricaaan nn Jews wer

waaas them,m,m, aaandnnd mmmananany yy ofofof tttheeemm m cococoululld d d nooot embrrac

ssyymbol aaas sooourrrceee oofff idididennntttittty... GeGeGenntn iles iiin

usssed to saaay yy tott mmmeee abababouououttt IsIsIsraaaelelel [17:00],,, “b

therrre ararare somethththinii g!g!g!”” ananand d we woulddd rresesespond

re! Thohoosesese aaarerr my peopopoplelele.”

erican Jewwws,s,s, IIIsrsrsraelll bbbecame tttheheheiririr visible bo

, not in 1948 wwwhehehennn thththeee stattteee was created, b

when it captured their imaginations The im

in a way, began to replace Judaism for many American Jews after

1967. Israel came along at a moment in American Jewish history

when Judaism was ceasing to have a compelling religious hold on

many Jews. In an era of secularization and a general loss of

traditional values, Israel offered American Jews a new way to

organize their own identity and remain connected to Jewish

history, but without having to be observant [18:00], without

having to go to synagogue every Saturday and spoil the weekend.

I know, believe me I know, because I was the epitome of the

transformation. It was Israel’s victory in ’67, I said, which

prompted me to assert my own Jewishness. Not five years of

Hebrew school, not Herzl Camp, not my Bar Mitzvah. Hebrew school

only embarrassed me because I had to get on the Hebrew bus in

front of the gentile kids at my elementary school, and my Bar

Mitzvah only bored me except for the envelopes stuffed with

money. My active involvement with Israel really began in 10th

grade, 1968, in the wake of the Six Day War. The Jewish Agency

sent a shaliach, a sort of roving ambassador and recruiter for

Israel to Minneapolis for the first time, and I became one of

his most active recruits. For my independent study project in my

senior year in high school, I did a slide tape show on how

Israel won the Six Day War. For my high school psychology class,


13

t wwiti hout having toto bbbeee obobservant [18:00],], w

o to synagogue every SaSSattut rday and spoil the

ieve mememe III kkknononow,w,w, bbbecececauauausesese I wwwasasas ttthehehe eeepipipittome o

ion. ItItIt wasasas Isrsrsrael’’sss vvictcctory y y iiin ’’’6766 , III said

to asserrrttt mymymy ownwnwn Jewwwisii hnesesess. NNNottt five year

olll, not HHHerererzlzzl CCCamamamp,pp nnnototot mmmyy y BaBaBar MiMiMitztztzvah. HHeb

asssed me beeecaaaussse III hahahad dd tototo geeet onnn ttht e Hebrrrew

e gggentile kkkidididsss atatat mmyyy elelelemememenenentaaaryryry school, and

y borrred mmme exceptptpt fffororor ttthehehe eeenvelopesss ssstututuffed

ctive iiinvnvnvolololvevv ment wititith hh Israel reaaallllyy y began

, in the wawawakekeke ooofff thththe SiSiSix DaDaay y y WaWaWar.r.r. The Jewis

iach, a sort offf rororovivivingngng ambasasassador and recru

inneapolis for the first time and I became

my friend Ken Greer and I did a slide tape show on kibbutz life,

which ended with a stirring rendition of “Jerusalem Gold- “...of

Gold,” [19:00] and a rapid fire collage of fresh-faced,

idealistic looking Israelis up on the screen. I would beam with

pride as they flashed those pictures up there, as if to say to

my classmates, “take that, you gentiles! What do you have to be

proud of?”

In fact, high school for me was one big celebration of

Israel’s victory in the Six Day War. In a period of a few

months, I went from being a nebbish whose dream was to one day

become a professional golfer, to a Israel expert in training. I

was insufferable. When the Syrians arrested thirteen Jews in

Damascus, I wore a button for weeks that said, “Free the

Damascus Thirteen” which most of my high school classmates

thought referred to an underground offshoot of the Chicago Seven

[audience laughter]. I recall my mother saying to me gently,

when I put the button on one Sunday morning to wear to our

country club brunch, “is that really necessary, Tom?” I became

so knowledgeable about the military geography in the Middle East

that when my high school geography class had a teaching intern

from the University of Minnesota [20:00] for a month, he asked

me to give the talk on the Golan Heights and the Sinai. In 1968,


14

t, high school for meee was one big celebrati

ctoryyy iiin n n thththeee SiSiSixxx DaDaDayyy WaWaWar. IIIn nn aaa pepeperiririododod of a

ent frororom m bebebeiiingg g a neeebbbbbbiishhh whhosososeee drdrdreaee m mm waww s to

ofessionaaalll gogogolfll ererer, tooo a Isrsrsraeelll exxxpepepert in tr

raaable. WhWhWhenenen ttthehehe SSSyryy iaiaiansnsns aaarrrrrresesesteteted d d thththirteenn J

wwwore a bbbuttttooon fooorr r weweweekekeks ttthaaat saiaiaidd,d “Freeee t

irttteen” whiiichchch mosososttt ofofof mmmyy hihihighhh ssccchool claaassm

errededd tooo an undddererergrgrgrouououndndnd offffshoot offf ttthehehe Chi

aughterrr].].]. III recall mymymy mmmother sayiiinggg ttto me g

the buttonnn ononon ooonnen SSunddday mooornrnrninining g g tot wear to

b brunch, “is ttthahahattt rererealalally nnneececessary, Tom?”

eable about the military geography in the M

the first story I wrote as a journalist, for my high school

newspaper, was about a lecture given at the University of

Minnesota by a then-obscure Israeli general who had played an

important role in the ’67 war. His name was Ariel Sharon.

But Israel did not just become a source of pride and

identification for American Jews, it also became the tent pole

around which institutional Jewish life in America became

organized, and a vehicle through which American Jewry began to

discover and support its own power. Thanks to Israel, Jews felt

that they had a body to be proud of, and used it to assert

themselves and become a community of power, a community that was

not frightened or embarrassed to bare its fangs, and bring its

full economic and political clout to bear in support of its

agenda. That agenda was supporting Israel. In Minneapolis, all

Jewish community philanthropy was funneled through the [21:00]

local UJA Appeal. Each year there’d be a kickoff dinner with the

wealthiest Jews, uh, making donations. The speaker would always

have some connection to Israel, usually a general. He would

stand before the crowd, breath some fire, flex some muscles,

tell some lies, and in the end, the audience would puff out

their chests and open their wallets.


15

h iinsn titutional Jewewisissh hh lilife in America bebeca

and a vehicle throughghh whhhich American Jewry

d suppppopoportrtrt iiitststs ooownwnwn pppowowowererer. ThThThanananksksks tttoo o IsIsIsrrael,

ad a bobobodyd tttooo bebebe proooududud of,ff, andndnd usesesed dd ititit to as

and becommmeee aa cocc mmmmmmunitttyyy of pppowwwererer, a aa communit

neeed or ememembababarrrrasasassesesed dd tototo bbbarrreee ititits fafafangngngs, andd b

iccc and poooliiitiiicaaal clclclouououttt tototo beeearrr ininin supporttt o

t aaagenda waaasss suss ppppppororortititingngng Isrsrsraeeelll. In Minneeeapo

unitytyy phihihilanthropopopy yy wawawasss fufufunnnneled thrrrouououghghgh the

ppeal. EaEaEachchch year thererere’e’e d be a kiccckoooffffff dinne

Jews, uh, mmmakakakinininggg dodd natititions... TTThehehe ssspeaker wou

onnection to IsIssrararaelelel,,, usususuallllyyy a general. He

e the crowd breath some fire flex some mu

But no one talked much about the fact that fifty percent of

everything that was donated that evening, in response to this

Israeli general, stayed in Minneapolis to pay for the local

Jewish hospital, the home for the aged, the Jewish community

center, and the various synagogue educational programs. In other

words, Israel, Israel enabled American Jewish local institutions

to become stronger, more self-sufficient, and more varied. That

wasn’t all. Israel actually helped produce a vigorous, proud,

and assertive American Jewish leadership. The UJA campaign

replaced the synagogue as the source of Jewish leadership. In

fact, the campaign replaced Judaism altogether [22:00]. A good

Jew was not someone who went to the synagogue every Friday and

Saturday. A good Jew was not someone who prayed three times a

day and put on tefillin every morning. A good Jew, in the eyes

of most of the community in Minneapolis, was measured by how

much time, and more importantly how much money, he gave to the

campaign. The campaign became the factory and testing ground for

Jewish leaders. There was the UJA young leadership, old

leadership, singles leadership, women’s leadership, lawyers’

leadership, doctors’ leadership, even gay leadership, for all I

know. Plain old American Jews stopped visited Israel after 1967.

Instead, everyone who came seemed to be a leader. Israel crowned


16

troongn er, more self-f-suuufffff icicient, and more vvar

Israel actually helplppedeed produce a vigorous,

ve Ammmererericicicananan JJJewewewisisish hh leleleadadadershshshipipip. ThThThee e UJUJUJAAA camp

e synnagagagogueueue asss the sososouurcecce of f f JJeJ wiwiwishss llleaee ders

ampaign rrrepee lalaacecc d d d Judaaaisii m alalaltoogegegethhheree [22:00]

sssomeoneee whwhwhooo wewewentntnt tooo thththe sysysynananagooogugugue every Fr

ggogood Jewww wwwasss nnnottt somomomeoeoeoneee whhho prrrayyyed threeee

onnn tefillininin eeeveeryryry mmmororornininingngng. A A A gogogood Jew, in

the cccommumumunity iiinnn MiMiMinnnnnneaeaeapopopoliiis, was mmmeaeaeasususured

and morrreee imimimpopp rtantlyyy hohohow much monnneyyy,,, he gav

he campaigngngn bbbecececamaa e thththe fffactcttorororyyy ananand d testing

ers. There was thththeee UJUJUJA A A younnnggg leadership, ol

singles leadership women’s leadership la

American Jews as leaders, and leaders have to meet leaders, so

when they came to Israel on fundraising missions, they met with

Peres, Rabin, and Shamir. I was always being asked to speak to

visiting Jewish groups as a reported here, but no one ever

called me and said, “come speak to a group of wealthy Jews from

Chicago.” They always invited me to speak to a group of Jewish

leaders [23:00] from Chicago.

It became a, a very strange dialectic, this process.

American Jewry used Israel to become self-directed, an energized

community, and this in turn created a deep sense of being at

home in America, for American Jews. It made the United States

and increasingly viable alternative to secular Zionism. American

Jewish leaders had power, they had dignity, they felt part of

their society. There were Jewish senators and congressmen at a

conference of presidents, who could see the American President

any time they wanted. So with all of that, many American Jews

started to ask, “Wait a minute, why move to Israel? Why make

aliyah? I have everything I could ever want as a Jew right here

in the USA. If Scarsdale exists, who needs Tel Aviv?” No wonder

Israeli’s started to feel slightly ambivalent toward American

Jews. The Israelis were nurturing and giving vitality to a


17

:00]0] from Chicago.

ame a, a very strangeee diidialectic, this proce

wry uuusesesed d d IsIsIsrararaelelel tttooo bebebecococome ssselelelf-f-f-dididirererectctcteed, an

and tthihihis ininin turururn crrreaeaeatteddd a dededeeeep sssenee sesese of be

rica, forrr Amememerirr cacacan Jeeewwws. ItItIt mmmadadade thtt e United

innngly viaiaiablblbleee alalalteteternrr atatativivive tototo sssecccululularrr Zioniism

errrs had pppowwwerrr, thhheyeyey hhhadadad dddiiignnnittyt ,,, ttht ey felllt

ty.. There wwwererere ee JeJeJewiwiwishshsh sssenenenatatatorrrsss aaand congrrress

of prprresidididents, whwhw o cococoulululddd sesesee the Ammmererericicican P

ey wantttededed. SoSS with alalallll of that, mmmannnyy y Americ

ask, “Waittt aaa mimiminnun tett , hhwhy moooveveve tttooo IsI rael? Wh

ave everything III cococoulululd d d everrr wwant as a Jew r

If Scarsdale exists who needs Tel Aviv?”

community with whom they suddenly found themselves in

competition. [24:00]

Chapter 2 [chuckles]. Just as Americans got hooked on

Israel after the ’67 war, so Israelis got hooked on America.

It’s easy to forget today that back in the ‘50s, when Israeli

politics was dominated by the Labor Party, there was much talk

about bi-polarity, and Israelis were really very much focused on

the Soviet Union. My friend Ehud Gol, for the spokesman- former

spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, is forever telling me that I

may be married to a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn, but when I’m

in the shower in the morning it’s Russian Red Army songs that I

sing. It was only after Stalin’s anti-Semitic outbursts and

Israel’s open support for America in the Korean War that the

Soviet Union really faded as a potential ally. Then, uh, France

weighed in, and there was really a love affair with France. You

may recall the most popular singing group in Israel in the ‘50s

was Les Compagnons de la Chanson, a French singing group. Elvis

was really a distant echo. Uh, they didn’t have television

[25:00] here, so really American culture and American singing

groups and things of that nature simply never came in. Um, and

really, as the author Ze’ev Chafets once put it me, he said, “I

wouldn’t say that people pitied me for being an American, but


18

larriti y, and Israelilis weww rere really very mucuch

Union. My friend Ehhhududd GGol, for the spokesma

f theee FFForororeieieigngngn MMMinininisisistrtrtry,y,y, isss fofoforerereveveverr r tetetellling

ied ttooo a nininiccce JJJewissshhh ggirlrrl frororommm BrBrBroooo klklklynyy , bu

er in theee morororninn ngngng it’sss Russssssiaannn Reeed dd Army son

s only afafafteteterrr StStStalalalinii ’s’s’s aaanttti-i-i-SeSeSemimiitititic outburrst

ennn supporrrt fooor Ammmererericicicaaa ininin thhhe Koooreeean War th

n rrreally faaadededed dd asasas aa pppotototenenentititialll aaalllly. Thennn, u

and dd thererere was rererealalallylyly aaa lllovovove affairrr wwwititith Fr

the mosssttt popopopupp lar singngnginining group innn IIIsrsrsrael in

pagnons ddeee lalala CCChahh nson, a FrFrrenenenchchch sssini ging gro

a distant echo. UUUh,h,h, ttthehehey diiidndndn’t have televi

e so really American culture and American

back in ’67 there was no great attraction here of being

American. America was seen as being an eclipse. There were race

riots and drugs and Vietnam and hippies, and Israelis laughed at

Coca Cola and women who shaved their legs and weird things like

underarm deodorant.”

But again Israel’s sweeping victory in the Six Day War

changed all of this. It injected a new spirit of grandiosity, of

Manifest Destiny, into Israel. It ushered out the pioneer era of

simplicity in Israeli life, and ushered in an era of

consumerism, stock speculating, dollar accounts, credit cards,

and living beyond one’s means, which peaked in the ‘70s. The

material riches offered by America suddenly gained a new appeal

for Israelis [26:00]. If you wanted to sell a bed, you

advertised that it was an American-style bed. If you wanted to

be hip, you wore American jeans. If you wanted to be in, you

bragged of having visited Disneyland, not Paris. Popular

American culture cascaded in through television, movies, and

advertisements. I once heard and advertisement on Israel Radio

for frozen food, in which one actor said to another, “This is

our frozen food product.” The second man responded, “Excuse me,

are you from America?” The first man answered, “No, our system

is, but thanks anyways for the compliment!” In the old days,


19

off this. It injectctededd a nnew spirit of ggrarand

stiny, into Israel. IIIttt ushered out the pion

in Isssrararaeleleliii lililifefefe,,, ananand dd ususushererereddd ininin aaann n erereraa of

, stoockckck spepepeccculalalatinggg,,, ddollllar aaaccououountnn s,s,s, credi

beyond onnne’ee s memm ananans, wwwhihh ch pppeaakekeked inii the ‘70

chhhes offefefererereddd bybyby AAAmemm ririricacaca sssudududdededenlnlly y y gagagained aa n

s [26:00]]]. Ifff yyyouuu wwanananteteteddd ttto seele lll aaa bed, yyyou

thaaat it wasss aaan nn AmAmAmererericicicananan-stytytyleee bbbeeed. If yooou w

woreree Amememerican jejejeananansss. IIIfff yoyoyou wanteddd tttooo be i

having vivivisisisitett d Disneyeyeylalaland, not Paaariiis.s.s. Popul

lture cascacacadedededdd inii tthhhrou hhgh tttelelelevevevisisisioi n, movie

nts. I once heaaardrdrd aaandndnd aaadverrrtititisement on Isra

food in which one actor said to another “

when you lived American-style in Israel, it meant you stood out

like a sore thumb. Now you stand out if you don’t life American

style. Israelis each Hamburgers at McDavid’s instead of

McDonald’s and shop at American style supermarkets, count their

wealth in dollars not shekels, and are as likely to dress up as

Rambo on Purim as they are as Haman or Esther. Americans who

immigrated to Israel after ’67, attracted to the simple and

primitive frontier ways of Israeli life, now complain [27:00]

that Israel is turning into precisely what they were trying to

escape.

It was during this post-’67 period that I believe America

began to pose a serious existential challenge to the Zionist

revolution. As Israel became a more normal society, and more

like America, it lost some of its distinct identity, and as

America became a nicer place for Jews, the ideological terms of

trade between Israel and America began to change. Some Israelis

began asking themselves, “Why put up with the fake American

lifestyle, the fake McDonald’s and the knockoff jeans, when I

can have the real thing?”

Now, um, of course this view didn’t apply to all Israelis,

by any means. But those who were influenced by this view began

to signal it with their feet. It used to be a stigma to emigrate


20

to IsI rael after ’6767, ataa trtracted to the simimpl

rontier ways of Israeeelilli life, now complain

is ttturururnininingngng iiintntntooo prprprecececisisisely yy whwhwhatatat tttheheheyyy wwere t

during thththis pppossst-tt ’6777 periiiodoo ttthahh ttt I believe

seee a seriririououousss exexexisisistett ntntntiaiaial chchchalalalleleengngnge to thee Z

AAsA Israeeel beeecaaameee aa mmmororore nnnorrrmaala sooociety, an

a, it lost sososomemm ooof f f itititsss dididistststinnnctctct identityyy, a

ame aaa nicicicer placecece fffororor JJJewewews,s,s, the ideeeololologogogical

en Israaaelelel aaandnn Americacaca bbbegan to chhhannngegege. Some

g themselvevevesss, “““WhWW y putt up wwwititithhh thththe fake Ame

the fake McDonaaaldldld’s’s’s aaandndnd theee kkknockoff jeans,

e real thing?”

from Israel. No one ever left Israel for good, only for visits,

or as an Israeli teacher friend of mine remarked, “my sister

went to New York for one year [28:00] fifteen years ago.” But

even these kind of word games are becoming less necessary these

days. The image of the yored, someone who leaves Israel, has

been undergoing a radical transformation in recent years, from a

label of denigration, or the “refuse of society” which Rabin

once called him,’ to a rather neutral term. A PORI poll

conducted for the Haaretz newspaper in 1987 found that 57% of

all Israelis no longer believe that someone who emigrates is

betraying the country. The image of the yored has so improved

lately, that it’s even seeped into Israeli television

commercials. In 1988 Bezeq, the Israel national telephone

company, began running a commercial, on prime time, showing an

elderly Israeli grandfather sitting in front of a shabby, bare,

dilapidated desk, and dialing a number with the phone. Subtitled

beneath the man were the words “Netania Israel, 6:30 AM.” The

screen was then given over to what appears to be the Israeli

grandfather’s [29:00] grandchildren living in Los Angeles. They

are shown seated in an affluent looking, comfortable living

room, including a color television and a boy playing with a

football. Their comfortable surroundings were titled “Los


21

niggrar tion, or the ““reeefufuf sese of society” whihich

him,’ to a rather neeeutuutral term. A PORI pol

or thhheee HaHaHaarararetetetzzz nenenewswswspapapapepeper ininin 1119898987 fofofoununundd that

s no lololongererer belelelieveee ttthhattt somememeoooneee whww ooo emee igra

he countrrryy.y TTThehh iiimageee of thththe yoyoyoreeeddd has so id

t it’s evevevenenen seeeeeepepeped dd ininintototo IIIsrsrsraeaeaelilii tttelelelevisioon

. In 198888 BBBezzzeqqq, thththeee IsIsIsraaaeeel naata ioioionnnal teleeeph

gannn runninggg aaa comomommememercrcrciaiaial,l,l, ooon prprpriiime time,,, sh

aelii grananandfatherrr sisisittttttininingg innn front ooofff a a a shab

desk, ananandd d didd aling aaa nununumber with thhheee phone.

man were ttthehehe wwworoo dsdd “““NNettanininia a a IsIsIsrararael, 6:30 A

then given overrr tttooo whwhwhatatat apppppeeaears to be the I

’s [29:00] grandchildren living in Los Ange

Angeles, 8:30 PM.” This commercial – and their having a phone

conversation – this commercial prompted the following letter to

the editor in the Jerusalem Post, by one Sara M. Schachter of

Jerusalem: “Dear Sirs, I was appalled to see the new Bezeq

commercial! This not-so-subliminal message of Grandpa is still

in Netania but Los Angeles is a land of opportunity for the

young and ambitions, emigration is indeed a major problem for

the State of Israel, but I think it’s in poor taste for Bezeq to

legitimize and exploit this unfortunate fact, and I’m surprised

that the editors of Israel Television included this commercial

on the air.” The letter was followed by an editor’s note, which

read: “This public service announcement [the Bezeq commercial]

[30:00] has been discontinued, following complaints that it

would encourage yerida.”

But I’m afraid the blackout won’t help. Today an estimate

400,000 of the four million Israelis, as I said, are living in

America, and the number of young, non-Orthodox American Jews who

move to Israel for Zionist ideological reasons are really, uh,

becoming, I wouldn’t say you could count them on one hand, but

almost. Uh, meeting a young, secular American Jew who has made

aliyah to Israel is almost like meeting someone on the street

these days who’s twirling a hula hoop. Um, you feel like it’s


22

mbiitit ons, emigratioion isii iindeed a major prprob

f Israel, but I thinknkk iitt’t s in poor taste fo

and eeexpxpxplololoititit ttthihihisss unununfofofortrtrtunatatateee fafafactctct,,, ananandd I’m

itors ooof IsIsIsrrraelelel Tellleveveviisioion ininincludududedee ttthihh s co

” The lettttett rr waww sss follllooowed bbby ananan eeedidd tor’s no

pppublic sssererervivvicecece aaannnn ouououncncncemmmenenenttt [t[tthehehe BBBezeq ccom

bbeb en dissscooontttinnnueeed,d,d, fffololollololowwwinnng cooompplp aints th

raggge yeridaaa.”””

m affrarr iddd the blalalackckckouououttt wowowon’ttt help. ToToTodadadayy y an

the fouuur rr mimimillll ion Israraraelelelis, as I sssaiiid,d,d, are l

d the numbebeberrr ofofof young, non-OrOrOrthththodododox America

ael for Zioniststt iiidededeololologogogicalll rreasons are rea

wouldn’t say you could count them on one h

someone just from a different era. A friend of mine, Laura

Blumenfeld’s, uh uh, who’s been an assistant of mine, who has

moved here, said, “I ran into my ulpan teacher the other day,”

she just moved here in 1986, “and he said to me, you’re still

here? I said, ‘Yes, I’ve, I, I’ve decided to stay for a while.’

So he said to me, ‘You mean people are still doing that?’ It was

like I was [31:00] doing some ‘60s fad that was out of date.”

[coughs]

Now, just as the ’67 War brought forth an era of

materialism that made individual Israelis get hooked on America,

it also made Israel into a regional superpower, which made it as

a country, very much dependent on the United States, um, and I

think that’s pretty well clear to everybody, in terms of Israel

now getting about three billion dollars a year in American aid,

and that becoming central to the support of the Israeli economy.

This in turn created a situation where politically Israel could

not take any major diplomatic decision without taking the

American reaction into account. As one senior Israeli official

put it to me, “There are two kinds of dependency. One kind of

dependency is when you’re told what to do. That rarely happens

with the United States. The other form of dependency is when you

act on the basis of anticipated reactions. That happens all


23

[311:00] doing somee ‘6660s00 ffad that was outt of

ust asasas ttthehehe ’’’676767 WWWararar bbbrororouugughttt ffforororththth aaannn ererera of

thatt mmmada eee iiindididividuuualalal Isrsraelililis gegeget tt hohohookoo ed o

e Israel inii tototo a rrregiooonnnal sususupeeerprprpowwweree , which

veeery muchchch dddeeepenenendededentnn ooonnn thhheee UnUnUnitittededd SSStates,, u

s ppretty weeellll cccleeeararar tttooo evvveeeryyyboodo yyy, in termmms

abbbout threeeeee bibb llllllioioionnn dododollllllararars aaa yyyear in AAmAmer

comininng cececentral tototo ttthehehe sssupupuppopoport of thhheee IsIssrael

n creatttededed aaa situationonon wwwhere polittticccalalally Isr

y major ddipipiplololomamamatitt c ddde iici iisionnn wwwititithohohout taking

action into accccououountntnt... AsAsAs oneee senior Israeli

e “There are two kinds of dependency One

time. It is now a built-in feature of [32:00] daily policymaking

here that we ask ourselves, ‘What will the Americans say if we

do this and what will the Americans say if we do that?’”

Next chapter. Next chapter is called “Tennis, anyone?” It

started out as a normal Saturday morning. Bob Slater, the

correspondent of Time Magazine and I were having our normal

Saturday morning tennis match, at the Jerusalem Tennis Center.

We happened to arrive at our assigned court at two minutes

before 10, and the Israeli players on the court were in the

middle of a point. We walked on to the court but stayed over to

the side, so as not to interrupt. At that point one of Israeli

players asked if we would please wait outside. We said no

problem and stayed outside until the clock struck 10, at which

point we returned to claim the court. They were still in the

middle of a, a point, and vacated the court reluctantly. As we

passed each other, one of the Israelis began mumbling in Hebrew

something about arrogant Americans pushing them off the courts.

After a few seconds of this, I told the fellow [33:00] that if

he had something to say, he should say it in English, at which

point he erupted with a lava flow of vile invectives that were

variations on “fucking Americans,” “arrogant Americans,” and “go

back to your own country where you belong.”


24

rniingn tennis match,h, aaattt ththe Jerusalem Tennnnis

to arrive at our assssigiigned court at two min

and ttthehehe IIIsrsrsraeaeaelilili ppplalalayeyeyersrsrs onnn thththeee cococourururttt wwere i

point.t.t. Weee wwwalklklked ooonnn tto tthe cccooourtrtrt bututut staye

o as not tott iiintnn erererrupttt.. At ttthaattt poooinii t one of

eddd if weee wowowouluuld dd plplpleaee sesese wwwaiiittt ouououtststsididde.. We saaid

ssts ayed oooutttsiiideee uuuntntntililil ttthehehe clllocckc sttrt uck 1000,

turrrned to ccclalalaimii ttthehehe cccououourtrtrt... Thhheyeyey were stiilill

, a pppointntnt, and vavavacacacateteted dd thththee court reeelululuctctctantl

other,, ooonenene of the IsIsIsrararaelis begannn mmmumumumbling

bout arrogagagantntnt AAAmmem riiicans pussshihihingngng tttheh m off th

seconds of thihiis,s,s, III tttololold thhheee fellow [33:00]

thing to say he should say it in English

Bob and I stood there, gape-mouthed, watching this man

fulminate. When he was gone we just stared at each other across

the net dumbstruck. “What in the world was that about?” we said

to each other. It was clear that this Israeli was bothered by

something more than just tennis etiquette. He must have been

nursing some grudge against American Jews for a very long time

and our entering his court two minutes early simply lit his

fuse. This contretemps occurred just as the United States was

putting heavy pressure on Israel to turn over for questioning

several Israeli officials alleged to be involved in the Pollard

spy scandal. And, uh, at the time of Pollard’s arrest, many

American Jewish leaders had been highly embarrassed by the fact

that Israel was spying on the United States [34:00]. They

expressed that disappointment loud and clear to the Israeli

government, much to the annoyance of many Israelis. Maybe that

was at the root of this man’s anger, considering what he said,

and this was hardly the first time I had heard Israelis express

anti-American sentiments. His anger clearly seemed to be rooted

in the resentment many Israelis feel at being dependent on

America in general, and American Jews in particular. It’s no

secret to Israeli officials that Washington gives the

extraordinary amount of aid to Israel which it does in large


25

eriingn his court twowo mmminini ututes early simplyy li

contretemps occurredd jujjust as the United Sta

vy prrresesessususurerere ooon n n IsIsIsrararaelelel ttto tututurnrnrn oooveveverr r fofoforr ques

aeli ofofofficiciciaaalsss alleeegegegedd totto beee iiinvovovolvll ededed in th

. And, uhhh,,, atatat thehehe timmmeee of PPPollalalarddd’s’’ arrest,

wiiish leadadadererersss hahahaddd bebb enenen hhhiggghlhlhly yy emmmbababarrrrassed by

wwwas spyiiinggg ooon thhheee UnUnUnitititededed Stttattet sss [3[[ 4:00]... T

hattt disappoooininintmtt enennttt lololoududud aaandndnd cccleleleaaar to theee Is

muchchh tooo the annononoyayayancncnceee ofofof mmmany Israaaelelelisisis. Ma

root ofoff ttthihihisss man’s ananangegeger, consideeeriiingngng what

s hardly thththeee fififirsrr ttt tititime II hhhadadad hhheaeaeard Israeli

an sentiments. HiHiHisss ananangegeger cllleeaearly seemed to

ntment many Israelis feel at being dependen

part because of the electoral clout of American Jews. It is not

only American Jews’ political lobbying of Congress that is

important to Israel, but also their lobbying of the American

public at large, the way in which they keep Israel on the

American agenda. Although American Jews personally send Israel

about 300 million dollars in donations each year through the

UJA, through their lobbying of Congress the United States

government sends Israel three billion dollars. “Pull the

American Jews out of their relationship,” remarked [unsure]

[35:00], a veteran Israeli diplomat in from Washington, “and the

whole relationship will start to shake.” In other words,

Israel’s security and economic wellbeing now depend in part on

assistance from America, assistance that will only be

forthcoming on a large scale if there continues to be a vibrant

American Jewish community that doesn’t move to Israel.

Now, Israelis react to this dependence on America and

American Jews in a variety of ways, not all of them as volatile

as the man on the tennis court. One is by trying to compensate

for it by emphasizing what a strategic asset Israel is for the

United States, and with a certain cockiness aimed at projecting

Israel as larger than life. For instance, one of the most

popular t-shirts sold in the old city of Jerusalem, is blaz-


26

h ttheh ir lobbying ofof CCConoo grgress the United SSta

sends Israel three bibiillllliiion dollars. “Pull t

ws ouuuttt ofofof tttheheheiririr rrrelelelatatatioioionshihihip,p,p,””” rereremamamarkrkrkeed [un

veterrananan Isrsrsraaaelilili dippplololommattt in fffrommm WaWW shshshinii gton

ionship wwwilii ll sts ararart tooo shakekeke.” IIIn otoo her word

cuuurity ananandd d eeeconononomomomicii wwwelelellbbbeieieingngng nnnowowow dddepend in

frrrom Amerrriccca,,, aaassssisisistatatancncnce ttthaaat wililillll only bbbe

onnn a largeee ssscacc lelele iiifff thththererereee cooontntntiiinues to be

wish h commmmmmunity thththatatat dddoeoeoesnsnsn’t’t’t move tooo IIsrsrsrael.

sraeliisss rerereacacact to thiiisss dedd pendence onnn AAAmerica

ws in a varararieieietytyty of ff ways, nooottt alalallll of them as

on the tennis cccououourtrtrt... OnOnOne isss bbby trying to co

mphasizing what a strategic asset Israel is

emblazoned with an Israeli F-16 fighter bomber and the words

“America Don’t Worry, Israel is Behind You.” At the same time, I

discovered that virtually every Israeli official I met had a

quiet disgruntlement toward American Jewish [36:00] leaders.

It’s not easy to find oneself dependent on people you can’t

fully respect. As uh, uh, one of Peres’s aides said to me, every

time he came back from America, all I have to do is attend one

Israel bonds dinner in New York and see all those New York Jews

and all the schmaltz, and I get so sick, it’s enough to never

make me want to leave Israel. But not only American Jewish

schmaltz and soft-headedness rankles Israelis, but I think also

their deep-seated ambivalence about being someone else’s

vicarious symbol of courage.

Israelis...”American Jews think we’re all heroes,” said

Ze’ev Chafets, the Israeli author, “and like good fans they

won’t tolerate a negative word about us. They go to the off

season banquets, they hear the coaches and the quarterbacks,

that is the generals and the politicians, tell them what it’s

like down on the field. They follow us every morning in the

newspapers, they even send their kids to the little leagues

here, the summer camps, but ultimately they see us a bunch of

dumb jocks. Like all players, we enjoy the adoration, but when


27

e bbaca k from Americaca, alaa ll I have to do iss at

s dinner in New Yorkk aaandd d see all those New

schmmmalalaltztztz,,, ananand d d III gegegettt sososo sicicick,k,k, iiit’t’t’sss enenenoough t

t to leleleaveee IIsI rararael. BuBuButt nonnot onononllly AAAmemm ririricacc n Je

d soft-heeeadaa ededdnenn ssssss rannnklkk es IIIsrraeaeaeliiiss,s, but I t

seeeated amamambibibivvvalelelencncnceee abababououout bebebeinining sooomememeone ellse

ymmbm ol of cooourrraggge.

is....”Americicicananan JJJewewews thththinininkkk wwwe’rrreee all heroooes,

ts, ttthe IIIsraeliii autututhohohor,rr “““anananddd like gggooooood d d fans

ate a nnnegegegatatativii e word aaabobobout us. Theeey gogogo to th

uets, theyyy heheheararar thehh coa hchesss aaandndnd tttheh quarter

generals and ttthehehe pppolololitititiciaaannsns, tell them wh

n the field They follow us every morning i

it’s you getting your head [37:00] bashed in every day on the

field, when it’s your son going off to Lebanon, then it’s hard

to look on the fan without a little bit of contempt.”

What adds to these feelings of resentment toward American

Jews is the fact that Israelis are now finding it very difficult

to deal with the competition from America for Jewish hearts and

minds. Harry Wall, the ADL director in Jerusalem, told me once

about an exhibit on American Jewry which his organization

brought to Israel. “When it was touring America, the exhibit was

called ‘American Jewry: The Fulfilment of the Dream,’ but when

we brought it to Israel we decided that we had better change the

name, so we took of the b-business about fulfilling a dream,

because there is only supposed to be one dream, and that is the

Zionist dream. We just called the exhibit, ‘American Jewry, from

Pre-Revolutionary War to Today.’ I invited the top people from

the Ministry of Education to come to the opening, and when it

was over I told them that they could have the exhibit. They said

to me, ‘Well, that would be just great, because we’ve never

taught anything about American Jews [38:00] in our school

curriculums.’ I said to them, ‘Huh? You’ve never done American

Jewry?’ They said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘We’re talking about the

largest, most successful Jewish community in the world.’ It


28

y WWala l, the ADL dirireccctott r r in Jerusalem, totold

hibit on American JJJewwwrrry which his organizat

Israeeel.l.l. “““WhWhWhenenen iiittt wawawasss tototourinining gg AmAmAmererericicica,a,a, the e

ricann JJJewryryry::: ThThThe Fuuulflflfiilmemment ooofff thththe ee DrDrDreaee m,’

it to Isrrraeaa ll weww dddecidddedee thahahat wewewe hhhadaa better

tttook of f f thththeee b-b-b-bububusiss nenenessssss aaaboboboututut fffulululfififilling a

ree is onllly suuupppposssededed tttooo bebebe onnne drrreaaam, and th

am.. We justtt cccalaa leleled d d thththeee exexexhihihibiiitt,t, ‘Americaaan J

ionararry WaWaWar to TTTodododayayay ’’.’ III iiinvvviiited theee tttopopop peo

y of EdEdducucucatatatioii n to comomomeee to the opeeeniiingngng, and

told them ttthahahat tt thtt ey couldldld hhhavavaveee thththe exhibit.

l, that would bbbeee jujujuststst gggreattt,, because we’ve

hing about American Jews [38:00] in our sch

turns out that every year they study about a different Jewish

community in Israeli schools. They’d done Russian Jews and

European Jews and Ethiopian Jews, but never American Jews. It

seems that they are too secure and too prosperous. It wasn’t a

stated policy not to teach children about them. No one said,

‘don’t teach about American Jews.’ It was just understood, you

didn’t teach about American Jews.”

Unfortunately, as American Jewish life has become harder

and harder for Israelis to ignore, some of them have taken to

running it down, or praying for an outbreak of anti-Semitism in

America. There are more Jews in Israel, rooting for Jesse

Jackson to be elected President of the United States than

anywhere in the world. Neri Horowitz, a young Israeli political

scientist, refers to this as Israeli anti-Semitism. My friend

Yaron Israchi, a professor [39:00] at the Hebrew University of

Jerusalem, and a political dove, encountered the phenomenon

firsthand when he was invited to debate a representative of Gush

Emunim before a visiting group from Florida of Jewish leaders.

“Before the debate began,” recalled Yaron, “I prepared myself to

explain to these people why they Gush Emunim settlement movement

was destructive to our traditions and collective identity and

not helpful to our security, and even dangerous for aliyah. The


29

h aabob ut American JeJewsss.”..

unately, as American JJJewish life has become

for IIIsrsrsraeaeaelililisss tototo iiigngngnororore,e,e, somomomeee ofofof ttthehehemmm hhave t

down, ooor prprpraaayinining fooorrr aan ooutbrbrbreeeakkk ofoo aaantnn i-Se

ere are mmmoroo ee JeJJ wswsws in IIIsraelelel, rororootttinii g for Je

beee electetetedd d PrPrPresesesidididenee ttt ofofof ttthehehe UUUniniitetetedd d Statess t

ttht e worllld... NNNerrri HoHoHorororowiwiwitztztz,,, aaa yyyouuunggg Israellli

refffers to ttthihihisss asasas IIIsrsrsraeaeaelilili aaanttti-i-i-SSSemitism... My

hi, aaa prororofessor [[393939:0:0:00]0]0] att ttthe Hebrrrewewew UUUnive

and a pppolololitititicii al dove,e,e, eeencountereddd ttthehehe pheno

hen he wasss inininvivivitett d dd tto ddd bbebatatteee aaa rererepresentati

re a visiting gggrororoupupup fffrororom Fllloororida of Jewish

debate began ” recalled Yaron “I prepared

Gush Emunim, I don’t remember his name, was the first to talk.

He said that the West Bank belongs to the Jews, that it’s part

of Eretz Israel, and that the Arabs don’t count, and that no one

should dictate to the Jews what to do. This was a time of a lot

of illegal settlements being built. Then he gave a very

impassioned speech about the Biblical history and the Torah

rights, etc. So one guy from Florida stands up and says, ‘Say,

you’re counting on massive aliyah from America and the West to

realize your plan for settling the West Bank, aren’t you?’ and

the man said yes. So the guy from the Florida said [40:00], ‘How

can you possible expect aliyah from Western, liberal Democrats,

when what you project through the settlements is a kind of

aggressive inconsideration of minority rights and all kinds of

other things which tarnish the image of Israel, and can only

encourage anti-Semitism from abroad? Because the way you treat

your minorities is how Jewish minorities will be treated. What

right will we American Jews have to claim to be treated well as

a minority?’ So this Gush Emunim guy smiled from ear to ear.

‘Sir,’ he said, ‘you don’t understand what you’re saying. Anti-

Semitism is the means through which massive Jewish aliyah will

come. So if we can contribute to that, you in the West will see

all the anti-Semites around you that will encourage you


30

. SSo o one guy from FFlooorirr dada stands up and say

ting on massive aliyi ahahah fffrom America and the

r plaaannn fofoforrr sesesettttttlililingngng ttthehehe Wesesesttt BaBaBanknknk,,, ararareen’t y

d yes... SoS ttthhhe ggguy fffrororomm thtthe FlFlFlooorididida aa sasasaidii [40

sible expppecee tt ala iyiyiyah fffrrrom WeWeWesttererern,, liberal D

ouuu projecececttt thtthrororougugugh hh thththeee seeettttttlelelemeeentntnts is a kkin

innnconsideeeraaatiiionnn oooff f mimiminononoriririttty riiighththtsss and allll

s wwwhich tarrrnininishss ttthehehe iiimamamagegege ooof IsIsIsrrrael, andd d ca

nti-S-SSemitititism fromomom aabrbrbroaoaoad?d?d? BBBecause ttthehehe wwway y

ties isiss hhhowowow Jewish mimiminononorities willll bebebe treat

we Americananan JJJewewewsss hahh ve tto clcllaiaiaim m m tototo be treate

’ So this Gush h EmEmEmunununimimim ggguy sssmimimiled from ear t

aid ‘you don’t understand what you’re sayi

emigrate, and especially to the West Bank.’ Well,” added Yaron,

“these American Jews devoured him. There was so much anger

directed at him from these people from Florida, that I didn’t

have to say another thing. Israelis like this believe only in

aliyah through Apocalypse Now. For these people, the [41:00]

best news of the year is Jesse Jackson. If they lived in Miami,

they would be voting for Jackson. For them, the worst-case

scenario for American Jews is always the best possibility.”

But this Israeli anti-Semitism is by no means confined to

the lunatic right. Many American Jews, myself included, were

shocked by an open letter to an American friend that world-

renowned Israeli political theorist Shlomo Avineri published in

the Jerusalem Post in March 10, 1987, at the height of the

American Jewish criticism about Israel, um, over the Pollard

affair. Avineri, a leading Labor Party ideologue, uh, wrote this

letter to a friend, in which he said, which he complained, that

American...that the Pollard case was bringing out, quote, “a

degree of nervousness, insecurity, and even cringing, on the

part of American Jews, which runs counter to the conventional

wisdom of American Jewry feeling free, secure, and unmolested in

an open and pluralistic society. Let me not mince words,”

[42:00] wrote Avineri, “some of the responses of American Jewish


31

be vov ting for Jacksksonnn... FoFor them, the worsrst-

r American Jews is alallwwways the best possibil

is Isrsrsraeaeaelilili aaantntnti-i-i-SeSeSemimimitititisssm iiisss bybyby nnnooo mememeananans con

righhht.t.t. Manananyyy AmAmAmericccananan Jeweews, mmmyyyselelelf ff inininclcc uded

an open llletee teteter rr tototo an AmAA ericicicann fffriiienee d that w

raaaeli polololitititiciicalalal ttthehh orororisisist ShShShlololomooo AAAvivivineri ppub

emmm Post iiin Maaarccch 101010, 191919878787,,, aaat thehehe height of

wisssh criticccisisism mm abababouououttt IsIsIsrararaelelel, umumum, over thhehe P

neri,i,, a llleading Labababororor PPPararartytyty ideologggueueue, uh,

friendndd, ininin which heee sasasaid, which heee ccomplai

that the PoPoPollllllararard dd case was bbbririringngnginining out, quo

ervousness, insssecececurururititity,y,y, anddd eeven cringing,

rican Jews which runs counter to the conve

leaders after Pollard’s sentencing remind me of the way in which

Jewish leaders in Egypt under Nasser, in Iran under Khomeini,

ran for cover when members of their Jewish communities were

caught spying for Israel. You always told us Israelis that

America was different. Of course it is, of course. Of course no

one will put you in jail or legislate against you. But you are

afraid that Jews will not be able to get responsible positions

in your government, that Jewish employees in the defense and

intelligence branches will be handicap, that Jews will be denied

access to sensitive positions. One Jewish spy, one Jewish spy,

and look how deep you find yourself in the galut mentality.

Don’t misunderstand me,” concluded Avineri, “in no way am I

condoning what Israel did in the Pollard affair, but the truth

of the matter is simple. You in America are no different from

French, German, Polish, Soviet and Egyptian Jews. Your [43:00]

exile is different, comfortable, padded with success and renown,

but it’s exile nonetheless.”

What I found so disturbing about this article was not only

the fact that so seemingly intelligent a man as Avineri could

make such a stupid argument, but that virtually every Israeli I

knew endorsed it wholeheartedly. Avineri completely misread the

American Jewish reaction. To begin with, he equated the reaction


32

Jeewsw will not be aablblleee toto get responsiblele p

ernment, that Jewishh eeemployees in the defen

e braaancncnchehehesss wiwiwillllll bbbeee hahahandndndicapapap,,, thththatatat JJJewewewss will

ensittivivive popoposssitititions... OOOnne JJewisisishhh spspspy,yy ooonenn Jew

w deep yooouuu fififindnn yyyourssselee f ininin tthehehe gagagalut menta

deeerstand d d mememe,”,,” ccconononclcc udududededed AAAvivivineneneririi, “i“iin no wway

haata Israeeel diiid innn ttthehehe PPPololollllarrrd affffffaaair, buttt t

er is simpllle.e.e. Yououou iiinnn AmAmAmererericicica ararareee no difffefere

man, Polililish, Sovivv etetet aaandndnd EEEgygygyppptian Jeeewswsws. Your

fferenttt, cococomfmm ortable,e,e, pppadded withhh sssucucuccess a

ile nonethehehelelelessssss.”..

found so distturururbibibingngng aaabobb ut ttthhhis article was

at so seemingly intelligent a man as Aviner

of American Jewish leaders with that of American Jews. Most

American Jews I knew did not give a hoot about the Pollard

affair more than a passing shrug, which only showed how secure

they really were. Those who did think about it and articulated

concerns, primarily Jewish leaders, were cringing not out of

fear for themselves. They were cringing in part out of the

monumental ignorance and breach of trust evinced by Israel,

which they openly and vocally support and continued to support.

To compare American Jews, who every year feel at home enough in

America to lobby the Congress for 3 billion dollars in aid

[44:00] for the Jewish state, who in every crisis since the

State of Israel was born, from Suez to the Lebanon War, were not

afraid to stand up and defend Israel publically, to compare them

to the behavior of Soviet Jews, of Ethiopian Jews, of Iranian

Jews, is sheer nonsense. It’s the desperate analysis of a man

who feels that the only way to attract Jews to Israel is by

offering it as a haven and not a compelling option for Jewish

life.

Can I get a drink of water? Oh, thanks!

New chapter. Bear with me, I’m almost...halfway done.

[laughs] [audience laughter] You’re gonna hear it all,

goddammit. [laughs] The next chapter is called “Heroes and Dead


33

ignnoro ance and breacachh ofofo ttrust evinced byy Is

openly and vocally suuupppport and continued to

Ameriiicacacan n n JeJeJewswsws,,, whwhwhooo evevevererery yeyeyeararar fffeeeeeelll atatat home

lobbyyy ttthe CCCooongrgrgress fofoforr 33 billlllliiionnn dodd llllllaraa s in

the Jewiiishss ssstatt tetete, whhhooo in eeeveeryryry cccrirr sis sinc

raaael wasss boboborrrn,,, frfrfromoo SSSueueuez tototo ttthehehe LLLebebebanon WWar

taaand up aaanddd dddefffennndd d IsIsIsrararaelelel puuublllicccallll y, to co

viooor of Sovvvieieiet tt JeJeJewswsw , ofofof EEEthththiooopipipiaaan Jews, of

eer nnnonsesesense. IIt’tt s thththeee dededespspsperate annnalalalysysysis o

hat thehee ooonlnlnly yy way to aaattttttract Jews tooo IIIsrael

as a havenenen aaandndnd nott a compepepellllllinining g g option for

get a drink of water? Oh thanks!

People.” Just as Israelis began to look on America differently,

both as an attracting and a threat, as a source of aid and a

thorn of dependence [45:00], American Jews began to look, begin

looking, on Israel differently. When American Jews first

discovered Israel in 1967, it was like meeting a beautiful woman

with whom they fell head over heels in love. They didn’t just go

on dating, they went out and got married and had kids together.

But the truth was, the couple really didn’t know that much about

each other. They were just in love, and love, as they say, is

blind. The marriage worked fine as long as American Jews never

really did the things you’re doing. As long as they never really

got off the tour bus and visited Israel, or as long as the only

Israelis they met were heroes and dead people. Then, the

marriage was trouble free. But the Israeli statue started to

come alive for American Jews in 1973, with the ’73 War, and then

with some of the scandals of the ‘70s, and finally with the, uh,

coming of the Likud and Begin government, with a, its own very

different agenda, an agenda that American Jews, liberal American

Jews, found a little difficult to deal with [46:00]. American

Jews gradually realized that this woman they married had all

kinds of crazy relatives hidden in the closet [audience

laughter]. Jewish settlers who spoke in mystical terms about


34

theey y went out and ggotott mararried and had kidids

th was, the couple reeealaalllyl didn’t know that

Theyyy wwwererereee jujujuststst iiin nn lololoveveve, anananddd lololoveveve,,, asasas they

marriagagage wowoworrrkededed finnneee aas llong g g aaas AAAmemm ririricacc n Je

the thingggsss yoyoyou’uu rerere doiiinnng. AsAsAs lononong asaa they ne

tttour bususus aaandnnd vvvisisisitii ededed IIIsrrraeaeael,l,l, ooorrr asss long as

eyy y met weeereee hhherrroeeesss ananand dd dededeaaad peeeoplplpleee. Then,,, t

s tttrouble fffrereree.ee BBBututut ttthehehe Isrsrsraeeelilili statue sststar

for AAAmeririrican Jewswsws iiinnn 191919737373,,, with theee ’73733 War

f the ssscacacandndndalaa s of thehehe ‘70s, and fffinnnalalally wit

he Likud anananddd BeBeBegigg n governmeeentntnt,,, wiwiwith a, its

genda, an agendnddaaa thththatatat AAAmeriiiccacan Jews, libera

a little difficult to deal with [46:00] A

settling the land and expelling Arabs, rabbis who declared that

American-style Reform and Conservative Judaism were

illegitimate, army generals who compared Palestinians to

cockroaches in a bottle. This left American Jews uncomfortable,

and excl- exclaiming, “Wait a minute! I married Gold Meir!

You’re telling me Arik Sharon is in the family?! I married Teddy

Kollek. You’re telling me Rabbi Levinger is in the family?! I

married Yitzhak Rabin. You’re telling me Kahane is in your

parliament?!”

By the beginning of the 1980s, Israelis had pretty well

dragged American Jews off the tour bus, but I would say the

final tug came with the Lebanon War. Again, I know because I was

part of it. My father-in-law, Matthew Buxbaum, got the bad news

while on a weekend visit to [47:00] Aspen, Colorado, during the

summer of ’82. The news came via a prominent business contact of

his from New York City, who was also visiting Aspen. The message

was short, and not very sweet. “Your son-in-law Tom Friedman,”

the man told Matthew gravely, “is the most hated man in New York

City today.” More than Son of Sam? I thought. [audience

laughter] More than Mayor Koch? Could it be? What had I done to

deserve this? My crime, it turned out, was that of the


35

’ree telling me Rabbbbii LeLL vivinger is in the ffam

zhak Rabin. You’re teteellllliiing me Kahane is in

!”

beginnnnnininggg ooof ttht e 19191980880s, Isrrraeaeaeliiisss haaad d d prett

rican Jewwwsss ofofoff f thththe tooouuur bususus, bububut III would sa

ammme with h h thththeee LeLeLebababanonn nnn WaWaWar... AAAgagagaininn, III know bbec

MMyMy fatheeer---innn-lllawww,,, MaMaMatttttthehehewww BBBuxxbx aaaummm, got ttthe

weeeekend visssititit tooo [4[4[47:7:7:000000]]] AsAsAspeeenn,n, Coloradooo, d

82. TTThe nnnews camememe viaiaia aaa ppprororommminent bbbusususininness

w York k CiCiCitytyty,,, who wasss alalalso visitinnng AsAsAspen. T

and not verereryyy swswsweeee t.tt “““YYour sssononon-i-i-in-n-n-lal w Tom Fr

d Matthew graveeelylyly,,, “i“i“isss the mmomost hated man i

” More than Son of Sam? I thought [audienc

messenger. As the Times bureau chief in Beirut [static;

recording missing]...

...in Tel Aviv, uh, ain’t never heard of the intifada. So,

um, uh, they are the ones who I think have been much more

seduced by the camera than, um, uh the Israeli or American Jews

have been hurt by it, um, because what happened and what I think

happened to them, to a very large extent, is that the TV

coverage became an end in itself, instead of a vehicle, or a

[48:00] necessary stage, to achieving negotiations. And so, just

sort of playing the victim on TV, just became an end in itself.

But sooner or later, you gotta get off stage, and when you do,

you gotta meet the Israeli. And until you do that, you can be on

Nightline from now until Christmas and it ain’t gonna get you

nothing


Hold it for just one second. I would like to make sure, ah,

because our time is just about out, and Tom’s been up here

almost an hour and a half...I would like to make sure that there

are no questions hanging regarding the matter of Israel-diaspora

relations, or his recipe at the end of what he thought that

relationship should be. So, with all due respect, if there are


36

thheme , to a very lalargggeee exextent, is that ththe

came an end in itselflff,,, iiinstead of a vehicle

essarrryy y stststagagage,e,e, tttooo acacachihihievevevinggg nenenegogogotititiatatatioioionns. An

ying thththe vivivicctc imimim on TVTVTV,, juust bbbeeecamamame ee ananan end i

or later,,, yououou gotototta gggeeet offffff statatageee, and when

eeeet the IIIsrsrsraaaelilili. AnAA d dd unununtiiilll yoyoyou dododo ttthat, yyou

rooom now uuuntttilll CCChrrrisisistmtmtmasasas aaannnd ittt aiaiainn’n t gonnnna

Friedmamaan:n:n:

t for justtt ononone ee sess co ddnd. II woooulululd d d lililikek to make

time is just aaaboboboututut oooututut, annnddd Tom’s been up

our and a half I would like to make sure

any questions of that sort, let’s get ‘em up, and then we’ll get

back to the political thing if we have any time. We got another

ten minutes, and that’s all, because Scott and his crew have put

in a good lot of effort [audience laughter] [49:00].

Thomas L. Friedman:

Keep it down there.

F1:

I enjoyed your speech, but one thing you said concerned me.

I understand your pain on seeing your cousin eat pork, a pork

chop at his Bar Mitzvah, but what concerns me is, don’t you

think it’s unfair of American Jews to demand a certain kind of

expression of Judaism from Israelis that we may or may not be,

expect of ourselves, and shouldn’t we just allow them to express

their Judaism as they wish, and be they are here...

Thomas L. Friedman:

Right, that’s a, a very legitimate question. Unfortunately,

the pork chop reference actually referred to a part of this

speech I didn’t even talk about, which is about the

relationship, the religious relationship between the two


37

t ddowo n there.

yed yyyououour spspspeeeechchch, buuuttt ooneee thhinininggg yoyoyou uu sasasaidii con

d your paaainii ooon nn seseseeinggg yourrr coousususinnn eat pork,

BBBar Mitztztzvavavah,hh, bbbututut whahahattt coooncncncererernsss mmme is, doon’

unnfn air offf AAAmeeeriiicaaann n JeJeJewswsws tttooo dddemmmandndnd a certaaain

of Judaism frfrfromoo IIIsrsrsraeaeaelililiss thththattt wwweee may or may

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sm as tttheheheyyy wiww sh, and d d bebebe they are heeererere...

riedman:

that’s a a very legitimate question Unfo

countries. I mention it because it seems to me very impor- it,

it, it refers to a much larger question. And that is, um, can

nationhood, national symbols, speaking Hebrew, etc., be enough

to preserve you [50:00] as a Jew? And really the answer is, you

know, I think very questionable. One sees this with Israelis

when they move to America. The Jews who assimilate the quickest

in America are Israelis who come to America, because all most of

them have are these national symbols. Alright, they don’t have

that sort of communal religious experience. I was, uh, giving a

talk for an army officers’ course, a couple weeks ago, and they

were showing me the agenda...it was for Israeli army officers

who were going to school in America for two years. And the

speaker before me was a speaker who was giving them a talk on

how to behave in a synagogue. Um, and, uh, you know, all I’m

saying is that, I mention it that, to me, Israel has got to

articulate also a spiritual vision of Judaism that’s going to be

compelling for American Jews. You can’t say, you know, “I am the

center,” okay, “I am the carrier of your Jewish identity,”

[51:00] and the conduct a Jewish life here that if transplanted

to Los Angeles would wither in, uh, you know within a year. And

it’s really that dilemma which I’m trying to, evoke, ‘cause


38

aree Israelis who cocomeee to o America, becausese a

re these national symmmbobbollsl . Alright, they do

f commmmumumunananalll rererelililigigigiououousss exexexperiririenenencecece. III wawawass, uh,

armyyy ooofficiciceeers’s’s’ couuursrsrsee, aa couououpppleee weww ekekeksss ago,

g me the agaa enenndadd .....it wwwas fofofor IsIsIsraaaelee i army o

innng to scscschohohoolool iiinnn AmAA ererericicica fofofor rr twtwtwooo yeyeyears. AAnd

orrre me waaas a spppeaaakekekerrr whwhwho wwwasss gggivivivinnng them a

ve in a synnnagagagogoo ueueue. UmUmUm, ananand,d,d, uuuhh,h, you knowww, a

hat, I mememention ititit ttthahahat,tt tttoo mmme, Israaaelelel hhhas g

also a spspspiririritii ual visisisiononon of Judaisssm thththat’s g

for Americacacannn JeJeJewwsw . YYou can’n’n’ttt sasasay,y,y, you know,

ay, “I am the cccarararriririererer ooof yoyoyouurur Jewish identi

the conduct a Jewish life here that if tra

there’s, there’s a challenge there, which Israelis shouldn’t be

allowed to escape.

M1:

On the topic of, uh, leadership, all of us are here because

we were selected for this program, which means to one degree or

another most of us have bought in to some extent to the, the

existing leadership, uh, situation, for which we are rewarded,

and that, that’s how you become recognized as a young leader, by

helping perpetuate the system, not by making waves and creating

problems that going to hurt fundraising in the short run, and I,

my own sense after spending time here over the last several

years, and particularly after the last few weeks, is that

somehow or another we as leaders have to divert the attention

[52:00] from some of the more traditional things that have been

done and more toward education, and toward understanding the

historical and religious basis for the relationship with Israel,

and...I’d like to get your reaction to that assessment, and any

ideas that you might have as to how to help bring that about?

Thomas L. Friedman:


39

t oof f us have boughtht iiinnn toto some extent too th

adership, uh, situatitiiooon, for which we are r

hat’sss hhhowowow yyyououou bbbecececomomomeee rererecogngngnizizizededed aaasss aaa yyoung

petuaaatetete thehehe sysysystem,,, nnnoot bby mamamakkkingngng wavavavesee and

at going tott hhhuruu ttt fundddrrraisinining ininin ttthehh short r

e after ssspepependnndinininggg titt mememe hhherrreee ovovoverrr ttthehehe last se

paaarticulaaarllly afffteeerr r thththeee lalalassst feeew weeeeks, isss t

anooother we asasas leaeaadededersrsrs hhhavavaveee tooo dddiiivert theee at

m sommme ofofof the mororore trtrtradadaditititioioional thinnngsgsgs ttthat

re towawaardrdrd eeedudd cation,,, ananand toward uuunddderererstandi

and religioioioususus bbbasaa isii fffor tthehehe rrrelelelatatatioi nship wi

ike to get yourrr rrreaeaeactctctioioion tooo tthat assessment

you might have as to how to help bring that

Um, I mean I couldn’t agree more with, you know, what, uh,

what you said. You see there is an institutional imperative at

work among American Jewish leaders, which almost prevents them

from ever offering Israel that kind of critical understanding.

The institutional imperative is that they don’t get invited to

the White House to talk about the Jewish poor. They don’t get

invited to the White House to talk about the Jewish aged. They

get invited to the White House to talk about Israel. And as a

result, that makes many of them reluctant to, in any way, to um,

uh, you know, voice any kind of critical understanding,

sympathetic criticism, I think, to Israel [53:00]. I think what

you’re doing here I can only applaud, and a story I dropped out

of there, but which I’ll tell you...I mean it’s very refreshing,

I must say to talk to a group of American Jewish ‘leaders,’ um,

uh, haha, whatever you are...um, American Jews, period, okay,

who don’t, who can digest what I have to say. I mean, I’m sure

there are people nursing God know what out there, but without

standing up and throwing a pie. I mean, I must tell you, I spoke

to the Conference of Presidents of major American Jewish agenc-

uh, major American Jewish organizations, several years ago, and

I’m not afraid to say this in public, they were the dumbest

group of Jews I have spoken to anywhere, any time on this Earth


40

thee White House too tataalklkl aabout the Jewishh ag

to the White House tttooo ttat lk about Israel. A

t makkkeseses mmmanananyy y ofofof ttthehehemm m rerereluctctctanananttt tototo,,, ininin any w

w, vooicicice anananyyy kikikind ooofff ccrititicalalal undndnderee stststanaa ding

criticisssm,mm III thihihink, ttto Isrsrsraeelll [5553:33 00]. I t

g here III cacacannn onononlylyly apppppplalalauddd,,, ananandd aaa stststory I dr

uttt which I’’’llll tttellllll yoyoyou.uu ....III mmmeaaan iiitt’t s veryyy r

to talk to aaa grgg ouououp p p ofofof AAAmememeririricaaannn JJJewish ‘llelead

hatevvver yyyou are...u.ummm, AAAmememeriiican Jewsss,,, pepeperiod

who cannn dddigigigesee t what III hhhave to sayyy. III mean,

eople nursisisingngng GGGodoo kkknow hhwhatatt oooututut tttheh re, but

and throwing aaa pppieieie... III meannn,, I must tell yo

erence of Presidents of major American Jewi

[chatter from audience; light applause]. Um, the, uh, the

Women’s Hadassah group in Worcester, Massachusetts, asked more

intelligent questions, and showed more insight into the

predicament of Jews both in America and Israel, than these bozos

did [audience laughter]. Now, um, and I, I mean I say that, we

laugh, but I find it very sad [54:00]. They came to Israel three

months ago, the Conference of Presidents, alright, and before

they came, um, the foreign ministry called me up and said the

Conference of Presidents is coming here, they insist that you

come and give them a talk about the press coverage in the West

Bank and Gaza. And I said, “now, wait a minute. They’re gonna be

here. They’re gonna be here in Israel, in Jerusalem. Tell ‘em to

put on a helmet and a flak jacket one day, and get in a car, and

start at the southern end of the West Bank and drive to the

northern end and see for themselves! Tell ‘em to go on patrol

with an Israeli patrol, as I’ve done on numerous occasions. But

I’m not gonna come, sit in Jerusalem and tell them about what’s

happening five miles away! Well, sure enough, they found two

other suckers to come speak to them. They spent an hour and a

half throwing pies at them, lecturing them about what was going

on in the territories, and then, when I called the foreign


41

thhe e Conference of f Prrresee ididents, alright, and

um, the foreign minisisstrttry called me up and s

of Prrresesesidididenenentststs iiisss cococomimimingngng hererere,e,e, ttthehehey y y inininssist t

ve thhhememem a tttaaalkkk abouuuttt ttheee presesess cococovevv rararagegg in

za. And III saiaiaid,dd “““now,,, waittt a mimiminuuutett . They’r

reee gonna aa bebebe hehehererere iiin IsIsIsrarr elelel,,, ininin JJJerererusuu alem.. T

lmmmet and a flllakkk jjjacacackekekettt onnneee dddayyy, anndn get iiin

e sssouthern enenend dd ofofof ttthehehe WWWeeesttt Baaanknknk and drivvve t

d andndd seeeeee for ttthehehemsmsmselelelveveve !!s! TTTell ‘em tototo gggo on

aeli paaatrtrtrololol,,, as I’veee dododone on numeeeroooususus occas

na come, sisisittt ininin Jerus llalem aaandndnd tttelelelll them abo

ive miles away!y!! WWWelelell,l,l, sssure eenenough, they fou

rs to come speak to them They spent an hou

ministry later to ask if they ever went out to see themselves,

the answer was no. [55:00]

So, uh, I can only applaud what you’re doing, coming here,

looking, seeing the reality, with all its beauty and all its

ugliness, and going home, and A, being able to educate people

better on that basis, but also, I think, I hope, having the

courage and the responsibility to offer Israel something back.

[indistinct voices from crowd]


Ah ah ah ah! Time, time, time. Sorry. Uh, Scott n- fellas,

forget it. Scott and his bunch have put on a show. Tom has

really, really, extended himself, uh, way beyond the call of

duty, so we’re gonna...we thank him for coming

[applause]...uh...

Thomas L. Friedman:

Thank you. Thank you.



42

thhe e responsibilityty tttooo ofoffer Israel sometethi

voiccceseses fffrororommm crcrcrowowowd]d]d]

Friedman:::

ahhh ah! TiTiTimememe,,, tititimememe,,, tititimememe. SoSoSorrrrrry... UUUh,h,h, Scottt n

Scccott anddd hhhisss bbbunnnchchch hhhavavave ppputtt ooon a show. TTTom

llyyy, extendddededed himimimseseselflflf, uhuhuh,,, waaayyy bbbeyond thhehe c

’re gggonnanana...we thththananankkk hihihimmm fofofor cominggg

..uh....

riedman:

you Thank you

And, uh, let me turn the program over now to Mr. Scott

Apter [56:00], um, and uh, I don’t know what he calls himself,

but it’s the uh...[fades]

END OF AUDIO FILE [56:12]


43

c-7403 transcription friedman, thomas l. address. introduction...

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