Those of us lucky enough to be Hebrew speakers had the opportunity to attend a fascinating event on November 16: a joint initiative between WLS and The Spiro Ark Institute.
Tami Israeli, Cultural Attaché to the Israeli Embassy in London, interviewed Eli Amir, a well-known Israeli writer and charismatic raconteur. Amir shared with us anecdotes from his experience as Arab Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister following the Six Day War. Tami’s original and probing questions about Amir’s latest novel, the partly autobiographical Jasmine, directed the conversation to encompass a variety of issues topical to Israeli society.
Jasmine’s protagonist, Nuri, is appointed (as was Amir) head of the Government Office in East Jerusalem in June 1967. Nuri falls in love with Jasmine, a sophisticated Palestinian intellectual and doctoral student at the Sorbonne, on a visit to her family in Jerusalem.
Nuri , an Iraqi refugee (another autobiographical reference) was deported with his family from Baghdad as a child, leaving behind considerable wealth and an uncle (a political activist) in jail. Nuri empathises with Jasmine’s family who fled Jerusalem in the 1948 war to build a new life in the West Bank but who are once again at the mercy of a ‘conquering nation, represented by Nuri.
Amir gave not only an intriguing insight into the Palestinian psyche following the war but also touched on the complex issue of the underdog in Israeli society; how Jewish immigrants from Arab countries had to fight their way up in a society where important government positions and power were largely concentrated in the hands of the early Chalutzim - Ashkenazi Jews, mostly refugees of Eastern Europe.
The analogy is hard to escape. In his novel he describes the gulf between Palestinians and Israelis being the result of two conflicting civilisations: the Arabs whose culture is based on “Shame and Honour”, while Israeli culture is based on “ Chutzpah and practicalities” One is dignified, polite, reserved, anchored in the past tied (or held back?) by tradition, while the other thrives on challenges and improvisation.
Having been told about the warm welcome Amir received during his recent visit to Egypt to give a talk about his novel, we left the evening sharing with him hope for the future. He believes that when an Arab writer feels able to break conventions and taboos and write a similarly bold novel, Arab readers also will start searching deep down for the common ground (such as the fact that Israel was built by refugees) rather than emphasising the differences, thereby establish mutual understanding and trust in the Middle East.
Zippi Lyttleton
