About Amos'speech in Frankfurt, Germany
during the ceremony and after having received the Goethe cultural prize

Was Amos Oz's speech in its Place?

Tubiana: I have much respect for Amos OZ, the Israeli writer, novelist, and journalist. He is certainly well recognized and his works were translated into thirty languages. Alas, during the ceremony and after having received the Goethe cultural prize of the town of Frankfurt, Germany, he took the floor to say inter alia:

Oz: "Jewish colonists of Gaza and of the West Bank have a dream as for the future of Israel. Me too, I have a dream for its future. But their sweet dream is my nightmare, while my dreams seem like poison to them."

Tubiana: May I quote what Goethe had said in such circumstances:

"We are frightened by our own sins when we see them in others."

I understand well that it was not his choice to have been born in Israel, but I do not grasp why dreams of various tendencies cannot coexist the ones with the others without having to trample whoever it may be. However, he is able to envision a Palestinian state next to an Israeli state, which may be of a different nature and a different culture. Also I understand that his dream is diametrically opposed to those of the others, but it should not have to be a nightmare for a man of his stature.

I often say: I will fight the left to protect right, and I will fight the right to protect the left for only one single reason, that both the left and the right are for me primarily human being. Without this Judaism, neither the right, nor the left could claim to have rights to their ancestral country. Then OZ spoke about the Israeli colonists, as if the creation of Israel was not due to the colonists of the left, as well as to the colonists of right of various immigrations. Then he adds:

Oz: "In this unrealistic dream of the colonists, there is no place for the Palestinian people, except for some humble servants and grateful workers. There is neither any place for me in this dream, or for a laic, modern Israel. My friends and I are out of the game, unless we repent."

Tubiana: Is it necessary to recall that it was the left that imposed its way of living to those who wanted to join their kibutzim? As a young person, I was prohibited from reading other newspapers, such as "Haaretz". Only the newspapers of the left, such as "Al Hamishmar" were allowed.

I wonder who is encroaching on whose dream. I do not believe that space for Mr. OZ in missing, without counting the sphere of his own world. As for the dreams of the religious people, I do not think that these are wild dreams; the religious people have as much right to their opinion as the others to theirs. Israel is the only country in the world where they could have felt at home. While reading these remarks I wonder whether the religious people did not get more respect in Christian countries than now in Israel. I also wonder which government he refers to when he says:

Oz: "But, we also, we have a dream for Israel, completely different from the religious fancy of the colonists. We want to live in peace and in freedom, and not under the iron rule of the rabbis, not even under that of the Messiah, but under that of our elected government"

Tubiana: As long as the left and the media try to monopolize the intellect, any government will not be composed of the officials truly elected by the people.

Oz also says: "the battle is between the Church and the State, precisely the Synagogue and the State"

Tubiana: As if the majority of the Israelis belonged to religious groups. It is a lack of tolerance and a way of denaturing facts. He could not have lived there without the constant support of the entire Jewish people, without distinction of the differences. Is it necessary to choke joy by exaggerating one's suffering?

I wonder which culture he would like to give to the Israeli youth and to the Palestinian youth? That of the "Tsafon Tel_Aviv" where youth does not know any more compassion and love for their fellow men? It is not by pointing the finger to the religious people or those who struggle for their fate that the intellectual class will distinguish itself better.

Those who want to make us swallow that the battle is not political but between "the Synagogue and the State," are deluding themselves, they are mistaken and mislead the Jewish people, which had always had several different tendencies. This is what had made its charm and had made the coexistence possible.

With all due respect, I wish that by accepting this important and honorable prize, Mr Oz would be able to get inspired by the wisdom of Goethe who wrote:

Welche Regierung die beste sei? Diejenige die uns lehrt, uns selber zu regieren.

Which government would be the best? That which teaches us to govern (control) ourselves