Leon Wieselthier, literary editor of the New Republic magazine, put it best when he described the recent book My Promised Land and its author, Ha'aretz columnist Ari Shavit, as “splendidly unobliging.” There's no doubt about it: for Shavit, the history of Israel is not complete without acknowledging, as he defines it, both the good and the bad. Put it all together and none of it makes sense. But, Shavit asks, who says it has to?
My Promised Land is all about contra-dictions, so it only makes sense that any discussion of it reflect that fact.
As he told The CJN a few weeks ago, Shavit argues the story of the Jewish state is defined by two overriding themes: “oc-cupation” and “intimidation” (by which he means the existential threat posed to Israel by its Arab and Muslim neighbours). My Promised Land is his meditation on how that came to be and what it might take to escape from the dual burden of occupation and intimidation. Shavit con-cludes that reversing course on the for-mer is the only path forward, though he acknowledges doing so won't guarantee alleviation of the latter. It won't be easy – it may be impossible – but for Shavit, it's worth a shot. My Promised Land is daring, at times very moving, and worth a read.
But for some readers, My Promised Land will be full of half-truths, inconsist-encies and stylized history, and all of it should leave readers suspicious about Shavit's true intentions. Indeed, it is hard to believe he is an Israeli himself. In par-ticular, the chapter entitled “Lydda, 1948” calls into question Shavit's judgment. At the very least, the author is guilty of not telling the whole story. The expulsion of Lydda's 40,000 Arabs during the War of Independence was but one part of Israel's battle for survival against the Arab world. To single out Lydda as the focal point is unfair and irresponsible.
There is another issue with My Prom-ised Land: Shavit engages in historical navel-gazing about a country and a peo-ple he suggests has neither the time nor the inclination to look backward. Israelis, the author claims, are too caught up in the now – the constant fear of attack on the one hand, and a lust to live life to the fullest on the other – to indulge in history lessons. If that's the case, then what is the point of My Promised Land in the first place? What's so revolutionary about this book?
Is My Promised Land an honest por-trayal of Israel or the work of a man moulding history to fit his agenda? One thing is for sure: it's a frustrating read, just as Shavit intended it to be.
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“Back Story” is a feature of the new CJN – debuting April 10 in case you missed the news – that I'm particularly excited about. The basic conceit is this: every week, you'll read a story from Juda-ism's past and learn how it fits into the larger narrative of Jewish history. Some stories will be uplifting, others tragic, but all will contribute to your understanding about how we got here, and perhaps hint at where we're going next.
yoni