My father, who lived in Palestine between 1933 and 1940, went to school with the actual captain of the actual Exodus. He came to visit us for dinner when he was in the states, though I don’t remember if it was when we lived in the Bronx or in Teaneck, New Jersey.
I just want to hear about the falafels, and I'm only slightly joking. Some of that sabra food would be *amazing*. Still, so many interesting things to see and do; the military history is utterly fascinating to me, especially the boats of Cherbourg, and some of the leaders. Eye patches are never not badass, it's a fact. Enjoy the trip, I look forward to hearing about it on the pod.
Honestly, I'm wondering why practically no one on this Israeli government-sponsored press junket, other than Jesse Singal, has offered any backstory or disclosure about the sponsorship of this trip. I'm not an Israel-basher, but like any government- or NGO-sponsored tour or military-embedded reporting, there's an inherent conflict of interest, and I think journalists reporting from this trip have a duty to disclose the full story of the sponsorship and agenda of the trip. I'm particularly interested as to why the Israeli government is reaching out to the 'heterodox podcast' space (for lack of a better word) and what they hope to get out of it.
PG, I will answer this in four parts. 1: Each member of the traveling group would reveal in his/her own time that they were traveling and at whose behest, based on their writings and the requirements of their publication, albeit a good number of us are freelance. Jesse is the first to do so. 2. The consulate asked nothing us, in terms of what we wrote or podcast. Indeed, there was daily pushback from many in the group to some of the things we heard and some of the people we met. Note too that the people in our group are from a broad spectrum of publications and political stances. 3. Several of us, including Jesse, went early in order to get what we knew would be a view from the far left. This proved useful in complicating an extremely complicated situation, as has my recent reading many books on Israel that present multiple povs. 4. Though this was my first experience being brought somewhere at another's behest, my understanding is, it is common for smaller countries and private organizations to invite journalists on such excursions. This I am sure can sometimes backfire - Matt Welch told me earlier today of a trip Michael Moynihan took to Libya doing just that https://reason.com/2010/02/22/a-libyan-charm-offensive/.
I will ask that you have faith that none of the people that were invited were swallowing bait in order to spew out a party line; it's not who we are and I am guessing you know that. Best, Nancy
Ooo. I’ll have to read We Stand Divided. I’ve been noticing the far-right/NatCon contingent differentiating between observant and secular Jews. It hadn’t hit me until the Israeli election that there’s a growing alliance between them and the Religious Zionists. The mainstreaming of this in the US is slightly alarming
Yossi Klein Halevy is my favorite. Another recommendation is his book, “letters to my Palestinian neighbor.” It’s excellent.
My father, who lived in Palestine between 1933 and 1940, went to school with the actual captain of the actual Exodus. He came to visit us for dinner when he was in the states, though I don’t remember if it was when we lived in the Bronx or in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Good luck and safe travels!
I just want to hear about the falafels, and I'm only slightly joking. Some of that sabra food would be *amazing*. Still, so many interesting things to see and do; the military history is utterly fascinating to me, especially the boats of Cherbourg, and some of the leaders. Eye patches are never not badass, it's a fact. Enjoy the trip, I look forward to hearing about it on the pod.
Honestly, I'm wondering why practically no one on this Israeli government-sponsored press junket, other than Jesse Singal, has offered any backstory or disclosure about the sponsorship of this trip. I'm not an Israel-basher, but like any government- or NGO-sponsored tour or military-embedded reporting, there's an inherent conflict of interest, and I think journalists reporting from this trip have a duty to disclose the full story of the sponsorship and agenda of the trip. I'm particularly interested as to why the Israeli government is reaching out to the 'heterodox podcast' space (for lack of a better word) and what they hope to get out of it.
PG, I will answer this in four parts. 1: Each member of the traveling group would reveal in his/her own time that they were traveling and at whose behest, based on their writings and the requirements of their publication, albeit a good number of us are freelance. Jesse is the first to do so. 2. The consulate asked nothing us, in terms of what we wrote or podcast. Indeed, there was daily pushback from many in the group to some of the things we heard and some of the people we met. Note too that the people in our group are from a broad spectrum of publications and political stances. 3. Several of us, including Jesse, went early in order to get what we knew would be a view from the far left. This proved useful in complicating an extremely complicated situation, as has my recent reading many books on Israel that present multiple povs. 4. Though this was my first experience being brought somewhere at another's behest, my understanding is, it is common for smaller countries and private organizations to invite journalists on such excursions. This I am sure can sometimes backfire - Matt Welch told me earlier today of a trip Michael Moynihan took to Libya doing just that https://reason.com/2010/02/22/a-libyan-charm-offensive/.
I will ask that you have faith that none of the people that were invited were swallowing bait in order to spew out a party line; it's not who we are and I am guessing you know that. Best, Nancy
Ooo. I’ll have to read We Stand Divided. I’ve been noticing the far-right/NatCon contingent differentiating between observant and secular Jews. It hadn’t hit me until the Israeli election that there’s a growing alliance between them and the Religious Zionists. The mainstreaming of this in the US is slightly alarming
Very interested to hear your experiences and insights!
Safe travels Nancy!