A bit more on Yours Truly, vintage 1978, in East Jerusalem

Last updated on: January 19, 2020 at 3:13 pm by Dan Peterson

A bit more on Yours Truly, vintage 1978, in East Jerusalem 2020-01-19T15:13:28-07:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Jerusalem’s King David Hotel by night (Wikimedia Commons public domain image). My wife and I stayed there for several nights last summer, accompanying a large group of supporters of BYU’s Marriott School of Management.

In my immediately prior post (“A Prolegomenon to My First Sojourn in the Middle East”), I provided some indication of the reflexively pro-Israeli attitudes with which I grew up.

By the time of my first actual visit to the Middle East, however — a 1978 visit that lasted approximately six months — things had changed considerably.

For one thing, the Soviet-leaning Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt had died suddenly in 1970 and had been replaced by Anwar Sadat. Sadat, in turn, had expelled most Soviet military and other advisors from Egypt and, after the 1973 October War (or “Yom Kippur War”), had actually, dramatically, visited Israel and addressed the Israeli Knesset in November 1977. (The Camp David Accords would be signed on 17 September 1978.)

But I had also changed. I had developed a strong interest in Arabic and in the history of the Arabs, and my readings on the subject — most of them “extracurricular” — had, to put it mildly, substantially dimmed my idealistic and uncritical support of Israel and Zionism. I was especially influenced by a 1965 book entitled The Decadence of Judaism in Our Time, written by Moshe Menuhin, a Jewish anti-Zionist and the father of the great violinist Yehudi Menuhin.

Among other things, I had learned about Menachem Begin and the Irgun, whose connection with such events as the 22 July 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel and the 9 April 1948 massacre of the Arab village of Deir Yassin I regarded (and continue to regard) as horrifically immoral. I was shocked when I realized in 1976 that Menachem Begin was still active in Israeli politics and, indeed, a member of the Knesset. (I recall thinking that it was almost — please note the almost — as if, say, Joseph Goebbels were still alive and still a member of the German Bundestag.) When Mr. Begin was elected prime minister in 1977, I was absolutely stunned.

So I think it fair to say that, by the time I had arrived in Jerusalem in 1978, I was a convinced critic of Zionism and of the Israeli regime.

Accordingly, living in predominantly Arab East Jerusalem suited me just fine. I really liked several of the people — all Palestinian Arabs — on the staff of the Vienna Hotel, where we stayed for the first half of our time there. I enjoyed walking the streets of East Jerusalem and in the narrow lanes of the Arab quarter of the Old City and in the Christian quarter, which was and is also mostly Arab. I developed friendships with several of the shopkeepers. To this day, when I visit Israel, most of my time is spent with Arab bus drivers, Arab merchants, Arab waiters, Arab hotel staff, and Arab guides, a number of whom I count as friends. I’ve been in their homes over the years, spent time with their families.

But my views have moderated quite a bit since the late 1970s. And — did I mention this? — I’m older. I think that a correction in my views from the starry-eyed uncritical Zionism of my youth was necessary, but I also think that I overcorrected. I have friends on both sides now, and sympathy for both. Even sorrow for both. A enormous injustice was done to the Jews in Europe during the 1930s and 1940s, but an injustice was also visited upon many Palestinian Arabs by the influx of European refugee and later-immigrant Zionists. Unfortunately, many Palestinians have responded with vengeful injustices of their own. And not a few Israelis have responded in kind. As someone who has come to know many stories from the region, I find it all painfully sad.

I had never fully lost my sympathy or my admiration for Israel. Today still, I’m far more pro=Israel than are the overwhelming majority of (non-Israeli) Arabists. (My religious views and my political principles both see to that.) In any group where the sentiments are pro-Arab, I’m likely to be the one who speaks up in defense of Israel. But, similarly, in any group where the sentiments tend in the pro-Israeli direction, I can be counted on to speak up in defense of the Palestinians. And that’s right where I think I ought to be.

Uncategorized

Brigham Young University

BYU

Israel

Jerusalem

Previous Post

January 18, 2020

A Prolegomenon to My First Sojourn in the Middle East

Next Post

January 18, 2020 “‘Hard’ Evidence of Ancient American Horses” (Part 2)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What Christian group believes in the "Plain Dress" tradition?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Methodists Presbyterians Amish Seventh-day Adventists