Zionism Panel Held

As part of an international conference celebrating the centenary of modern Zionism, four notable Jewish academics participated in a panel discussion on political strategies for Diaspora Jews last night at the ARCO Forum at the Kennedy School.

The conference, which opened Tuesday with a series of lectures at Brandeis University, commemorates the 100th anniversary of the publication of Theodor Herzl's work, Der Judenstaat, which was the first expression of modern political Zionism.

Jointly sponsored by Harvard's Center for Jewish Studies, the Jacob and Libby Goodman Institute for the Study of Zionism at Brandeis University and the Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History in Jerusalem, the Boston segment of the conference ends today. The centennial conference will reconvene in Jerusalem, from May 18-21.

Michael J. Sandel, professor of government at Harvard, moderated last night's panel, "Toward a New Jewish Political Strategy."

The panelists, a group of Jewish intellectuals and journalists, included Ruth R. Wisse, professor of Yiddish literature and of comparative literature at Harvard; Sholom Avineri, professor of political science at Hebrew University; Daniel Pipes, editor of the Middle East Quarterly and senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and Martin Peretz, editor-in-chief of The New Republic.

Wisse, who opened the discussion, blamed the lack of Jewish political independence for the historic inability of the Jewish people to gain security for themselves. In Wisse's opinion, the goal of a new Jewish political strategy should be to break this pattern of dependence and to insist on reciprocity with other nations.

While Pipes agreed with Wisse that Jews historically have been weak, he argued: "We are not powerless anymore."

Because Jews now have power in the form of military weapons, Pipes said they must learn about the ethics of power, instead of focusing on increasing their military might.

Peretz explained why he thinks the political strategy of Zionism has been a success.

"Of all ideological illuminations of our era...Zionism is the only one that accomplished what it set out to do...with reasonable decency."

The four speakers also expressed differing views on the nature of the Holocaust's role in the lives of Jews.

Wisse said that using the Holocaust as a symbol for the Jewish people brings out their vulnerability rather than their strengths, and added that the Holocaust Museum represents the "triumph of anti-Semitism."

Pipes also said he thinks that the Holocaust should not be used as a Jewish symbol. "Jews have existed for 3000 years....Life is the symbolism of the Jewish religion, not death."

The Boston conference continues today with a discussion of "Zionism and its Opponents." All of today's sessions are at the Kennedy School and are free and open to the public.

In conjunction with the conference, Widener Library is presenting an exhibition of the library resources that are available at Harvard for the study of Zionism.