- 7■11, 0 % St 3 0 0–P “3.P.S.).9. cm.gpc., ofuoee, 1 1
sa o et •
Spring in Israel Shiela Herbert, Gertrude Reed Moral Re-Armament F. Ray Bettie)" The Liberal Party R. A. Walker The 'Tied House' System A ustin Lee That Pill Joanna Moore Sadler's Wells Stephen Arlen Catholic Fashions Fr. Herbert McCabe, O.P.
Fruit Juice Mrs. R. J. Studderl-Kennedy
Persian Earthquake Disaster
Canon Edward Carpenter and °then
Corporal Punishment Sir Patrick Barry Wordsworth Letters J. P. Hogan and B. E. Hogan John Dunn Peter Raidl
SPRING IN ISRAEL
SIR,---] am not a Jew; I have, however, lived in Israel
suspect for a little longer than Mr. Raven, whose superficial impressions and damning criticisms show every evidence of a hustled tourist visit. There is a cliché for the sort of cliche he uses when describing Israel and its inhabitants—the sweeping generalisa- tion. And he makes plenty of them. The first is his comparison of the Greek and Jewish cultures; it is loose, clever-clever and without a historical leg to stand upon. The belief that the Greek culture as em- bodied in religion is one solely of order, light and sweet reasonableness could persuade only the most naive Hellenophile. Blood-sacrifice and fertility- rites played as much part in Greek thought as did rationalism; if Judaism is said to perpetrate the -con- cept of the Fall, with Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. Greek mythology contains a whole catalogue of 'Sin, from Prometheus to Orestes. Proof of the surprising compulsion of this mythology is the fact that while we knowing denizens of the twentieth century won't admit Original Sin we are quite happy to think of ourselves in terms of an Oedipus Complex.
However, that is perhaps a rhetorical quibble. To come down to earth, and the second sweeping generalisation: Mr.-- Raven is ,convinced that 'the Israelis lack both humour and tolerance and are un- accommodating in the extreme.' To illustrate his theories he quotes stories that he has heard—never once does he describe an individual, or a conversation, which might bring • a faint touch of reality to what he is saying. Has he ever in fact met any Israelis? Or did he merely watch from a distance while they planted maize or picked oranges or did their army exercises? Does he care to distinguish between those who live in the country and those who live in the town? those who work for a community and those who earn a salary? those who fled in crammed boats from Europe and those who were born there? It is easy for the non-Jew to smile at the hoary old nine- teenth-century idealism which fashioned the kibbutz, the entirely egalitarian system of education, and the planting of the desert which is only now barely be- ginning to bloom. I seem to detect in Mr. Raven's smile the vestigial condescension of the true-blue Englishman towards the ex-colony of not-so-long- ago. Oh Palestine! Oh Cyprus! Oh Ghana!
I found the Sabra generation—and .here I too per- mit myself a sweeping generalisation---hardworking, with plenty of humour and a cynical optimism bred of extraordinary adversity. They also have a frank hatred of the palatable hypocrisies which regulate English life so neatly and indispensably. They are not money-snobs; they are not culture-snobs; and above all they are not people-snobs. Mr. Raven appears to be all three.---Yours faithfully,
28 Portman Close, WI
SHIELA HERBERT
Previous page
