Israeli Author Reaches Out to Young American Jews During a Talk at Hillel

Ari Shavit’s critically acclaimed book “My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel” delves into the controversy surrounding Israel’s tumultuous history and present-day conflict, but during a talk Tuesday at Harvard Hillel, Shavit focused on how to bridge the gap between American Jews and their homeland.

“I think it’s the role of the Jewish state and the Jewish leadership to try to seduce you into being Jewish, being proud to be Jewish,” Shavit said.

Shavit, a columnist at the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, spoke alongside Jeffrey M. Goldberg, a columnist for The Atlantic, who described Shavit as both a friend and a key critic of Israel’s occupation in the West Bank.

Throughout the discussion, Shavit grappled with what he characterized as the chasm growing between Israel and young American Jews.

“Now you have a situation in which...American Jewry is moving in more liberal, universal, assimilated directions,” Shavit said, adding that Israel is moving in the opposite direction.

Shavit’s current book tour across the U.S. is aimed at reaching out to young American Jews.

“There’s nothing more essential for the Jewish people and for the state of Israel than to restart the dialogue with you,” Shavit told the crowd. “I think one of the greatest failures of Israel in recent years is that it did not reach out to young American Jews, and now it’s the time to do it.”

Goldberg also spoke about the importance of reaching out to the Jewish youth in the United States.

“This is something that we talked about months ago, having Ari go to campuses and speak with young American Jews,” Goldberg said.

Though Shavit passed out copies of his book for free at the event, Peter B. Kussell ’67, who attended the talk, said he bought a copy of the book when it first came out and called it a “landmark” book about the state of Israel.

“I think he’s directing this towards what stake your generation has in Israel,” Kussell said.

Shavit’s and Goldberg’s discussion follows a speech at Hillel on Monday by former Israeli Major General Yaakov Amidror, who focused on the Israeli military.

“The real threat to Israel is the loss of the Jews,” Shavit said. “We don’t have an F-15 problem,” he added, referring to the Israeli Air Force.

However, both Shavit and Amidror said that Israel has done the best it can in a difficult situation.

“We are not perfect,” Shavit said. “We are not some marble statue of perfection, but not only are we human, we are an amazing human endeavor.”

Shavit also spoke at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies on Tuesday.

—Staff writer Ivan B. K. Levingston can be reached at ivan.levingston@thecrimson.com