Reflections on Avi Shlaim, Three Worlds : Memoirs of an Arab-Jew, London: Oneworld, 2023, 324 pp.
During my stay in Iran in 2016, I heard from several Muslims that Jews are good businessmen because they are trustworthy, and their word weighs more than a notarized contract. I recalled these comments when I read about Yusef, one of the protagonists of this book and the author’s father. A self-made man and a wealthy supplier of building materials, he earned a sterling reputation not only among his customers, but also among his employees, whose welfare, not only their productivity, he constantly cared about.
Yusef also embodies the concept of the Arab-Jew. Active in the Jewish community, sponsor of synagogues and various charities, he was respected and exercised influence. Unlike his wife, a British citizen, he spoke only Arabic and lived in the culture of his country, of which he was an indelible part. His Jewish affiliation was more cultural than religious. Yusef also embodies the gentle and harmonious modernization that is quite different from the often defiant and conflict-ridden modernization of European Jewry.
As usual, at the age of 13, his son Avi is “bar-mitzva ’ed” but there is apparently more emphasis on bar than on mitzva (Torah commandment) during this ceremony. When four years later, Avi arrives in the hostel of a Jewish school in London he is totally unaware that it is Yom Kippur, and surreptitiously eats the ham sandwich brought from the trip across the Channel. Any eating, let alone ham, is, of course, prohibited on Yom Kippur. Compare it with Isaac Deutscher, another Jewish intellectual immigrant to Britain, but this one from Austrian Galicia. Brought up in a deeply religious Hassidic home and considered a Talmud prodigy, he lost his faith and decided to “test God” on Yom Kippur. He went to the tomb of a prominent Hassidic rabbi and ate a ham sandwich. In this act of defiance, the young Deutscher cast away “the yoke of Heaven”. Foodwise, there was no difference, but the different significance of this act points at very dissimilar paths secularization took among Jews in Europe and in the world of Islam.
Bagdad , Iraq – Jewish family of Baghdad with child. Photo taken in 1920s after creation of Iraq. Baghdad. Census in 1917 showed 40% of Baghdad population were Jewish. ( from Baghdad, Camera Studio Iraq, A Kerim and Hasso Bros, 1925) D226 CD1750 D228 CD1761 (Photo by Culture Club/Bridgeman via Getty Images)
Like most Iraqi Jews, Yusef was indifferent to Zionism. In the family, this political ideology was considered “an Ashkenazi thing”. Events beyond his purview (about which more later) projected his family and then him, largely out of the sense of responsibility, in the fledgling Zionist state. Even though he was to live over two decades in Israel, he and his Arab-Jew identity were irrevocably broken. He felt like a fish out of water, remained alien, unemployed and unaccustomed to the Ashkenazi-dominated society. But he never compromised his sense of humility, self-respect, and decency, never complained or asked for favours. The fate of this noble man illustrates that of many non-Ashkenazi Jews brought to Israel unaware of what awaited them in “the Promised Land”.
The uprooting of Iraq’s Jewish community is the leitmotif of the entire book. The Zionist colony, established by and for European Jews to solve Europe’s “Jewish problem”, needed Jews. The natural reservoir of “human material” (as Ben-Gurion used to repeat) was severely depleted due to the Nazi genocide. Zionist emissaries were sent to Muslim-majority countries to bring in living souls, even though these communities had played almost no role in the Zionist movement. The emissaries tried to convince, and, when this failed, cajoled and terrorized Jews. At the same time, arrangements were made, and bribes paid, to local officials who either facilitated emigration of Jews or looked the other way when they were smuggled out. The author, a witness, a victim, but also an eminent historian, painstakingly reconstructs the devastation of the Jewish community in Iraq, including Zionists’ acts of terror against Jews.
The author candidly recounts the intimate story of his family, profoundly traumatized by a fallout from Israel’s unilateral declaration of independence. It triggered a war since it was against the will of the majority in Palestine and all the Arab countries that the British ruled Zionist colony was turned into a state for the Jews. Albeit landed in Israel in relatively comfortable circumstances (thanks to his father’s illicit transfers of money from Iraq), Avi as a child experienced humiliation and discrimination like all Mizrahi population in Israel. His self-worth was severely undermined, he barely passed from one grade to the next, and the Zionist society saw in this underachievement a proof of his “primitive” background.
What saved him and turned him eventually into an Oxford don was departure from Israel and the warm welcome he enjoyed from Jews in England. It is striking that this articulated and nuanced memoir was written by someone who consistently failed in the English language at the Israeli school. No less striking is the contrast between the rough Zionist culture of the muscular New Hebrew Men forged to fight wars and the culture of genteel and caring British Jewish culture he encountered, which preserved, whatever its vicarious Zionism, the Judaic values of mercy, modesty and beneficence codified in the Mishna.
Growing up in Israel and serving in its military, Avi naturally imbibed nationalist myths and became an almost typical right-wing Mizrahi. He deftly depicts his personal evolution from a self-righteous partisan of Zionist ethnocracy to a thoughtful proponent of a democratic state for all the inhabitants between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean. Moreover, the author hopes that the collective memory of the centuries-long Arab-Jewish social and cultural integration should enable such a project to come true. In this case, the heritage of Iraqi, Moroccan and other non-European Jews will be not only rehabilitated, but also put to good use to build a peaceful future.
It is hard to share this hope after months of unprecedented violence that has left tens of thousands dead and wounded. Yet, colonial regimes often become particularly violent before their demise. The Zionist ethnocracy, however unique, may face the same fate and open the way to a more equitable and therefore more humane political and social entity.
Este artículo también está disponible en: Inglés, Francés Lakhta Center at night (Imagen de Wikipedia) La conferencia de prensa de Vladimir Putin con los responsables de las agencias internacionales de noticias a principios de este mes, recibió una cobertura mediática importante. Gran parte de la atención se centró en su respuesta a una periodista británica sobre el […]
Yakov Rabkin L’auteur est professeur émérite d’histoire à l’Université de Montréal et associé au CERIUM, Centre d’études et de recherchesinternationales.Publié le 13 juin Idées Idées La conférence de presse du président russe, Vladimir Poutine , avec les directeurs d’agences depresse mondiales célébrée au début du mois a fait l’objet d’une couverture médiatique importante. L’attention s’est […]
Nahostkonflikt: Antizionismus ist nicht Antisemitismus. Und die meisten Zionisten sind keine Juden. Antisemitismus ist momentan ständig in den Schlagzeilen. Israels Premier nennt nicht nur den Vorwurf, Israel begehe in Gaza einen Genozid antisemitisch, sondern auch amerikanische Studierende, die einen Waffenstillstand fordern. Was Israel tut, provoziert in der Tat antisemitische Akte gegen Synagogen, jüdische Schulen und […]
Антисемитизм выходит сегодня на первые полосы газет западных стран. Премьер-министр Израиля называет антисемитскими обвинения в том, что Израиль совершает геноцид в Газе, и даже призывы к прекращению огня. В то же время военные действия Израиля провоцируют действительно антисемитские нападения на синагоги, еврейские школы и даже на отдельных евреев. Поэтому важно понять, что такое антисемитизм и […]
Çeviren: Ersin Aslıtürk Orijinal Fransızca versiyonu: https://www.lapresse.ca/dialogue/opinions/2024-05-07/antisemitisme-et-antisionisme/un-amalgame-qui-mine-la-paix-sociale.php Antisemitizm sürekli manşetlere çıkıyor. İsrail Başbakanı, İsrail’in Gazze’de soykırım yaptığı yönündeki suçlamaları ve hatta ateşkes çağrısı yapan Amerikalı öğrencileri de Yahudi düşmanı olarak tanımlıyor. İsrail’in yaptığı şey aslında sinagoglara, Yahudi okullarına ve hatta bireysel olarak Yahudilere karşı antisemit eylemleri kışkırtmak. Bu nedenle antisemitizmin ne olduğunu, ne olmadığını ve antisiyonizmden nasıl […]
This post is also available in: Spanish, French Anti-Semitism is making the headlines. The Israeli Prime Minister describes as anti-Semitic the accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and even American students who are calling for a ceasefire. What Israel is doing does in fact provoke anti-Semitic acts against synagogues, Jewish schools and even individual Jews. […]
By Yakov Rabkin and Yaacov Yadgar Abstract This article concerns the endurance of political traditions brought to Palestine at the turn of the 20th century from the revolutionary milieu in Imperial Russia. The Russian Empire and its neighbors, which form most of today’s Eastern Europe and large swaths of Central Europe, was the homeland of […]
There is something strange about the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which occurs a few days after Yom Kippur. One is required to leave one’s usual home and move to temporary, flimsy huts exposed to the vagaries of the weather. The holiday embodies the memory of protecting former slaves who dwelled in huts on their journey […]
“This past year has proven how fragile and precious life can be.” Rabbi Moshe Taragin, educator and author, begins his recent article with these words. It is written during the Hebrew month of Elul, which, this year, began in September. He mourns the death of some of his students who died as Israel’s soldiers in the war […]
Современный Израиль привлекает большое внимание аналитиков и общественности, но понять его мешают идеология, предрассудки и мифы. Зачастую к обсуждению Израиля подходят осторожно, чтобы не быть обвиненными в антисемитизме. В одной из предыдущих статей я объясняю, что отличает антисионизм от антисемитизма. Однако основная трудность в понимании Израиля состоит в привычной ассоциации этого государства в Западной Азии с евреями. […]
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(Image by Prensa Latina) Every year, Jews recite the entire Pentateuch aloud in synagogues. It is divided in weekly portions. Last week’s one (Vaet’hanan, Deuteronomy 3 :23 – 7 :11) contains passages that are central to Jewish liturgy, including the Shema, a declaration of loyalty to God, or more precisely, a declaration of love […]
Este artículo también está disponible en: Inglés, Francés Lakhta Center at night (Imagen de Wikipedia) La conferencia de prensa de Vladimir Putin con los responsables de las agencias internacionales de noticias a principios de este mes, recibió una cobertura mediática importante. Gran parte de la atención se centró en su respuesta a una periodista británica sobre el […]
Yakov Rabkin L’auteur est professeur émérite d’histoire à l’Université de Montréal et associé au CERIUM, Centre d’études et de recherchesinternationales.Publié le 13 juin Idées Idées La conférence de presse du président russe, Vladimir Poutine , avec les directeurs d’agences depresse mondiales célébrée au début du mois a fait l’objet d’une couverture médiatique importante. L’attention s’est […]
Nahostkonflikt: Antizionismus ist nicht Antisemitismus. Und die meisten Zionisten sind keine Juden. Antisemitismus ist momentan ständig in den Schlagzeilen. Israels Premier nennt nicht nur den Vorwurf, Israel begehe in Gaza einen Genozid antisemitisch, sondern auch amerikanische Studierende, die einen Waffenstillstand fordern. Was Israel tut, provoziert in der Tat antisemitische Akte gegen Synagogen, jüdische Schulen und […]
Антисемитизм выходит сегодня на первые полосы газет западных стран. Премьер-министр Израиля называет антисемитскими обвинения в том, что Израиль совершает геноцид в Газе, и даже призывы к прекращению огня. В то же время военные действия Израиля провоцируют действительно антисемитские нападения на синагоги, еврейские школы и даже на отдельных евреев. Поэтому важно понять, что такое антисемитизм и […]
Çeviren: Ersin Aslıtürk Orijinal Fransızca versiyonu: https://www.lapresse.ca/dialogue/opinions/2024-05-07/antisemitisme-et-antisionisme/un-amalgame-qui-mine-la-paix-sociale.php Antisemitizm sürekli manşetlere çıkıyor. İsrail Başbakanı, İsrail’in Gazze’de soykırım yaptığı yönündeki suçlamaları ve hatta ateşkes çağrısı yapan Amerikalı öğrencileri de Yahudi düşmanı olarak tanımlıyor. İsrail’in yaptığı şey aslında sinagoglara, Yahudi okullarına ve hatta bireysel olarak Yahudilere karşı antisemit eylemleri kışkırtmak. Bu nedenle antisemitizmin ne olduğunu, ne olmadığını ve antisiyonizmden nasıl […]
This post is also available in: Spanish, French Anti-Semitism is making the headlines. The Israeli Prime Minister describes as anti-Semitic the accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and even American students who are calling for a ceasefire. What Israel is doing does in fact provoke anti-Semitic acts against synagogues, Jewish schools and even individual Jews. […]
By Yakov Rabkin and Yaacov Yadgar Abstract This article concerns the endurance of political traditions brought to Palestine at the turn of the 20th century from the revolutionary milieu in Imperial Russia. The Russian Empire and its neighbors, which form most of today’s Eastern Europe and large swaths of Central Europe, was the homeland of […]
There is something strange about the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which occurs a few days after Yom Kippur. One is required to leave one’s usual home and move to temporary, flimsy huts exposed to the vagaries of the weather. The holiday embodies the memory of protecting former slaves who dwelled in huts on their journey […]
“This past year has proven how fragile and precious life can be.” Rabbi Moshe Taragin, educator and author, begins his recent article with these words. It is written during the Hebrew month of Elul, which, this year, began in September. He mourns the death of some of his students who died as Israel’s soldiers in the war […]
Современный Израиль привлекает большое внимание аналитиков и общественности, но понять его мешают идеология, предрассудки и мифы. Зачастую к обсуждению Израиля подходят осторожно, чтобы не быть обвиненными в антисемитизме. В одной из предыдущих статей я объясняю, что отличает антисионизм от антисемитизма. Однако основная трудность в понимании Израиля состоит в привычной ассоциации этого государства в Западной Азии с евреями. […]
(240812) — GAZA, Aug. 12, 2024 (Xinhua) — People flee from the Hamad City, a neighborhood in the northwest of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on Aug. 11, 2024, following the latest evacuation order issued by the Israeli authorities. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) (Image by Xinhua) Modern Israel attracts much attention from […]
(Image by Prensa Latina) Every year, Jews recite the entire Pentateuch aloud in synagogues. It is divided in weekly portions. Last week’s one (Vaet’hanan, Deuteronomy 3 :23 – 7 :11) contains passages that are central to Jewish liturgy, including the Shema, a declaration of loyalty to God, or more precisely, a declaration of love […]