Former Speaker of the Israeli Parliament Burg: “The Holocaust Is Over: We Must Rise from its Ashes

[Douglas Carpenter]

Run time: 10:31 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idsqWAit64g   Posted on YouTube: February 13, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: February 14, 2009 By DU Member: Douglas Carpenter Views on DU: 802

 
Former Speaker of the Israeli Parliament Avraham Burg: “The Holocaust Is Over: We Must Rise from its Ashes”

As Israeli leaders continue talks on assembling a coalition, we’re joined now by a former Israeli politician who’s emerged as one of his government’s biggest critics. Avraham Burg is a former Speaker of the Israeli Parliament and former Chairman of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization. His new book is called The Holocaust Is Over: We Must Rise from its Ashes.

link on Democracy Now to transcript and to other video venues:

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/12/former_speaker_of_the_israeli_parliament

[ikojo]

1. Amy Goodman asked him about the calls

to boycott Israel and Israeli products, Mr Burg said he was not into boycotts and considers them to be a form of violence. Interesting perspective.

I want to read the book. Israel gets a lot of mileage out of the suffering of Jews 70 years ago.

[leftchick]

2. what a wonderful, rational human being

I wish most people could be as objective as him.

[wake.up.america]

3. Germany needs to start acting a bit more rationally toward Israel ...

instead basing its policy on the atrocities of the Holocaust.


In addition:

Most Jews I know would like to see Israel cease its government's continuous draw to the past and concentrate on becoming a positive, progressive nation, which includes an attempt to build good neighbor policies. The adversary attitudes, the common enemy approach by many of Israel's politicians is a determinant to the country.

[abq e streeter]

4. What an intelligent, reasoned take on the situation

Hopefully some progressives who think Israel and the Jewish people use the holocaust as a convenient "excuse" for our collective mistrust of the outside world ( and acting accordingly) will understand that this is a profoundly powerful ethnic and cultural trauma that is taking generations to come to terms with, and it is natural to still see and deal with the world through its prism. I am an American Jew, born in 1951 to 1st generation Americans, and I"m still absolutely haunted by something that happened before I was born( and it was not even talked about much in my family when I was growing up)... Yet Mr.Burg's view that we must expand beyond this world view resonates with me and I'm sure many many other progressive Jews; I love how he reminds us that "never again" must apply to all of humanity. My limitations in my ability to express my thoughts are coming into play here, but I'm glad to have had the opportunity to watch Mr. Burg speak, and plan on getting his book. Thank you, Mr. Carpenter, for posting this.

[Douglas Carpenter]

5. reviews for Avraham Burg's book

The Holocaust Is Over; We Must Rise from Its Ashes

by Avraham Burg



Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Holocaust-Over-Must-Rise-Ashes/dp/0230607527/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234675203&sr=1-1

Powell Books link: http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780230607521-0

Barnes and Noble link: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Holocaust-Is-Over-We-Must-Rise-From-its-Ashes/Avraham-Burg/e/9780230607521/?itm=1

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Modern day Israel, and the Jewish community, is strongly influenced by the memory and horrors of Hitler and the Holocaust. Burg argues that the Jewish nation has been traumatized and has lost the ability to trust itself, its neighbors or the world around it. He shows that this is one of the causes for the growing nationalism and violence that are plaguing Israeli society and reverberating through Jewish communities worldwide. Burg uses his own family history--his parents were Holocaust survivors--to inform his innovative views on what the Jewish people need to do to move on and eventually live in peace with their Arab neighbors and feel comfortable in world at large. Thought-provoking, compelling, and original, this book is bound to spark a heated debate around the world.

Review:

“This is an important book by a very courageous man. The shadow of the Shoah and its abusive application to the contemporary Middle East have been a catastrophe for Jews, Israelis and Arabs alike. In Burg's view Israel must move beyond Hitler's poisoned legacy. If they cannot or will not do this, the Middle East will never see peace and Israel has no future.” — Tony Judt, bestselling author of Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 and Professor at New York University
“An Israeli-born son of Holocaust survivors, Burg addresses a heartfelt plea to his countrymen: remember the past, but do not be its slaves; pathology is neither patriotism nor statescraft. A compelling and eloquent cri de coeur from a veteran of Israel's wars and politics.” — Howard M. Sachar, bestselling author of A History of the Jews in the Modern World and A History of Israel

"Burg takes a blunt, loving, painful and desperately important look at the state of the Jewish soul today. Anyone who cares about the future of the Middle East and the fate of victimized peoples needs to read this book and think hard." — J.J. Goldberg, author of Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment and Editorial Director of The Forward

“This fascinating and thought-provoking book should be read by every person who cares about Israel. Burg's central theme is that Israeli leaders use the memory of the Holocaust in ways that are warping the country's soul, creating unnecessary fear, and making it impossible to achieve peace with the Palestinians.” — John J. Mearsheimer, bestselling author of The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago

" assured and provocative polemic. . . . lecture with much wisdom . . . worthy of global consideration." — Kirkus Reviews

“An honest reflection of a tormented man searching for the universal values in Judaism.” — Le Figaro

“In this book of memories and reflections, the former Knesset Speaker delivers his disquieting findings about Israel that 'became a Kingdom without a prophesy.'... Foremost a book of hope from a man who wants to find ways to return Judaism to its universal calling.” --Le Monde“Short of being Prime Minister, Burg could not be higher in the Zionist establishment.” David Remnick, The New Yorker "Mr. Burg...wrote a powerful book, an indictment of how Zionism and the Holocaust have been used."--Globe and Mail

Synopsis:

Modern day Israel, and the Jewish community, is strongly influenced by the memory and horrors of Hitler and the Holocaust. Burg argues that the Jewish nation has been traumatized and has lost the ability to trust itself, its neighbors or the world around it. He shows that this is one of the causes for the growing nationalism and violence that are plaguing Israeli society and reverberating through Jewish communities worldwide. Burg uses his own family history--his parents were Holocaust survivors--to inform his innovative views on what the Jewish people need to do to move on and eventually live in peace with their Arab neighbors and feel comfortable in world at large. Thought-provoking, compelling, and original, this book is bound to spark a heated debate around the world.


About the Author

Avraham Burg is the former Speaker of the Knesset in Israel (1999-2003). He has been active in politics as a leader in the Labor Party and the One Israel party. His article in The Guardian called "The End of Zionism" was widely read and debated. He lives with his wife in Nataf, a small village outside Jerusalem


link: http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780230607521-0