Friday, January 2, 2015

Three key moments when The New Republic defended Zionism against the anti-Israel left

During a generation when the American left turned against the Jewish State, the magazine presented a robust, eloquent and at times inspiring counter-vision.

The breakup of The New Republic magazine is an occasion to think about its most important scoop – a liberal defense of Zionism. In a season when the American left turned against the Jewish State, The New Republic was a robust, eloquent and at times inspiring advocate. Even many of us on the right reckon that if debate strengthens Israel’s cause, The New Republic will be among those papers that deserve a portion of pride. Herewith is a sampler of three of my favorite TNR dispatches on this head:
Sanhedrin II: The case of Ivan Demjanjuk
This is a reprise of the decision of Israel’s Supreme Court to free Demjanjuk even though it had concluded, to a certainty, that he had served at Sobibor. The court’s decision is one of the ghastliest errors ever made by an Israeli institution. It was greeted in The New Republic by a nuanced and illuminating essay by a superstar of the American appeals bench, Judge Alex Kozinski, who rides the Ninth United States Circuit.
Theodor Herzl observing the Rhine from the balcony of Hotel Les Trois Rois.

No comments: