The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

The Screwtape Letters was one of the best books I have ever read. The basic plot of the letters is of a senior devil, Screwtape, helping a junior devil, Wormwood, through his temptations of the person he is assigned to. In each letter, Screwtape discusses a way in which to, or not to, tempt a person to do evil in the eyes of the Enemy (G-d). To me, this was a very important book in a very different way than most other books of it's kind. While, very little proof is given for how the evil inclination tempts us is given, throughout the book, I felt many, if not most, of the tactics to be very true. Without getting too personal, it truly felt that C.S. Lewis had insight into the workings of the human mind. It is not something that he quantified, but it feels that it is profoundly true. Even since reading this book I have seen the tactics that Screwtape tells Wormwood to use creep up in my mind, and now knowing what is going on, it has been easier to overcome. There perhaps is no better time to read this than right now, before the Yamim Noraim. Many people will see this book as a religious book by a Christian writer that has no bearing on Jewish lives. However, this is far from the truth. True, there are many things that are not specific to Judaism, such as the idea that one goes to either Heaven or Hell forever, most of the concepts that flow throughout the letters are close to all religious and even non-religious people. It is not a long book, and each of the letters are very short (many are just a couple pages), making it a very easy read. It is a book I definitely recommend to everyone, perhaps even to be read more than once.

The Prime Ministers by Yehuda Avner

        The Prime Ministers by Yehuda Avner is an in depth perspective of the early stages of the State of Israel's history from the point of view of, what Avner calls, a “fly on the wall”. Working closely with four Prime Ministers from Levi Eshkol to Menachem Begin, Avner gives the reader a very close perception of the situations that occurred in Israel during its beginnings that one cannot get elsewhere.

    Avner opens his discussion with the intricacies of the fight between Irgun and the Hagana. What I found most interesting was what could have come about from this bout, especially at the aftermath of the Hagana's bombing of the Irgun arms ship Altalena and the rounding up of the Irgun members. Considering the dire situation that the entire Jewish population was in at the time it seems the worst time to create a civil war between the two factions. At the same time the ideologies on how to deal with the British were so drastically different that it was up to the greatness of Menachem Begin to stop fighting. In both cases, Avner describes how Begin was so opposed to the idea of Jews fighting Jews that he completely gave in to the Haganah. This will lead the way to later in the book, where Avner clearly has a love for Begin, considering him the greatest Israeli Prime Minister. Another thing he focuses on is life in the Kibbutzim. The hardships that many people needed to face to start up the country from rocks and swamps is simply remarkable. It is completely a testament to the passion for the land of Israel that they had that the economically rising nation that exists today even had a chance.

           The first Prime Minister that Avner really has a close relationship with is Levi Eshkol. Although he was the Prime Ministers during the 1967 war, he is not one spoken about frequently. What is clear from the narrative is that the people had an almost negative perception of Eshkol throughout most of his premiership. He did not seem to be a powerful and strong leader, exemplified by a horrible radio address, after which, many wanted him out of power. Based on the way he is portrayed in this book, this is unfortunate. His ambivalence, however, sometimes had great power. Unlike many leaders, he was one that definitely was willing to hear the other side. Even when Begin wanted him to step down, Eshkol was willing to hear him through, and even though he eventually stayed in as Prime Ministers, his ability to hear the opposition is a tremendous quality. It is possible that this great quality comes from the fact of not being so stubborn on all of your positions. When to have this quality and when not to is the problem that we all face. Another time where this was indispensable was during the 1967 war. He followed Begin's (who was the opposition leader) idea to take over Yerushalayim despite both his and Moshe Dayan's hesitation. This quick change of stance lead to the control of Yerushalayim that we enjoy today, and is a testament to the tremendous leadership that Eshkol ended up exhibiting.

          Golda Meir is shown as another fantastic character. She is consumed by her political views as part of the Labor Party, and Labor Zionism in general, making all her decisions based upon this ideology. Like Rabin and Begin to follow, she stands by her morals and ideals to help the world by helping the Jewish people. She is therefore always worried about tikkun olam and helping the world. For years she worked on helping budding African countries to become successful economically without asking for much in return. Even in hard times, as she was Prime Minister through the Yom Kippur war, she is focused on not just the State's survival, but of how it can help the greater world landscape. After Israel is not helped by the European community Golda Meir is not scared to confront the leaders and ask them why they don't include Israel in the same rules that they ascribe to themselves. Based on her worldview it is clear why she is so upset. Israel should be a light onto the nations, but how can it do that if the other nations don't accept it. Golda Meir is also completely focused on the socialist ideals her party subscribed to. This is seen in a beautiful encounter between her and a group of soldiers on Sukkot while looking over a battlefield that included many Jewish casualties. A soldier asks her “What's the use of our sacrifice if we can't win the peace?” She answered in her idealistic way: “...I must tell you in all honesty, were our sacrifices for ourselves alone, then perhaps you would be right; I'm not sure they would be worthwhile. But if our sacrifices are for the sake of the whole Jewish people then I believe with all my heart that any price is worthwhile”. An ideal that this shows, one which was very prevelant then and should be now, is the willingness to sacrifice for the group because through the group we can accomplish things far greater than as individuals.

       Certainly, Rabin deserves discussion. His immense leadership as an ambassador and as a Prime Minister, specifically in Entebbe were spectacular. However, i'm going to skip to Begin. (Loved the irony of Begin being the last Patriarch, as Avner calls him.)

       Simply, Begin is the Man. He continuously sticks to his ideals on many fronts. His understanding of Jewish history and Jewish tradition. As a Holocaust Survivor, he has an acute sense of what the stakes are at when dealing with Israel's survival. He continuously defends the Jewish States interest no matter who he is talking to, be it the President of the US or anyone else, for Israel's ability to defend itself is a necessary condition to make sure another Holocaust cannot happen. With his understanding of Jewish tradition that tries to create an ideal community, it makes sense that he wanted to stop EL AL flights on Shabbat. “It is not the Jew that has kept the Sabbath, it is the Sabbath that has kept the Jew”, is the type of ideal that Shabbat and our tradition is part of him to such an extent that it cannot be separated no matter for what or whom. He is tough to those that do not have his understanding and does not back down. Interestingly, it is with him that a peace treaty is finally forged with Egypt. Although this treaty was already to an extent formed under Rabin, it was the stubborn Begin that gets it done. Perhaps Began can be a paradigm with which to deal with foreign affairs today. One could go on and on, as Avner does, about the prowess of Begin as a Prime Minister. He's quickly become one of my role models, someone I wish that we as a people had more people like.

        Avner himself is an interesting character. It is completely to his credit that he is kept on by all four of these Prime Ministers. Usually, when a new Prime Minister comes into power, people from the previous leadership usually do not stay in their positions, especially when a new party is in charge. Avner must be an exceptional person to have been kept on, at such a close proximity, by all these different leaders.

        This book gives me much hope to the future. Things seem hard in these days, but it has been this hard since the State began. We pulled through for sixty years under these and harder conditions. With leaders like these Prime Ministers, we can certainly continue on this path.

       The Prime Minister, albeit very long at 700 pages, was a fantastic read.It can give insight into Israel in trying times, and give you an appreciation for the State that exists today. Read it, you won't regret it.