The problem with your statement, Cherille, is that you have set up a
'straw man' by focusing on "books being commisioned/promoted/funded by
anti-Israel elements or as part of a public relations campaign by pro-
Palestinian groups". People such as Segev, Benvenisti and Oz are not at
all "anti-Israel" - at least not in my perspective. But perhaps you are
not referring to these authors when you say that you would not "waste
[your] school's money on these materials and when they do cross [your]
desk... communicate [your] displeasure to the appropriate publishers/
editors, etc."
Could you clarify? Would you, have you, for example bought "One Palestine
Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate", or "1949: the First
Israelis" by Segev; or "Sacred Landscape: the Buried History of the Holy
Land Since 1948", or "Intimate Enemies: Jews and Arabs in a Shared Land"
by Benvenisti? These and others are important works that provide both new
information and an alternate point of view/perspective on Israeli history.
They certainly are not "part of a public relations campaign by any pro-
Palestinian groups".
My concern is that it is far too easy to listen to shouts from those who
don't want to have any challenges to the older "potted' histories and no
facts and views that might upset our readers, especially students, about
Israel. I have been told, but I'm not in any position to have first hand
knowledge about this, that the English language version of the "Pillars
of Fire" video does not contain some of the material that was shown on
Israeli tv and *is* in the Hebrew version. If this is correct, then it
should be protested by members of our profession, just as we have done
with other more recent books that we felt were inaccurate and incorrect.
As far as "Relentless" is concerned, I'm in full agreement with Barry
Walfish, my colleague in the Ontario Chapter, who gave a very fair mini-
review of it as part of this discussion. Shabbat shalom,
Bernard.
Bernard Katz, former Head, Special Collections and Library Development
McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph
and founding Treasurer, AJL - Ontario Chapter
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