Shmuel Ben-Gad writes that his "main point is that [Israel's] 'new
historians' views are seriously controverted within academia", and I
certainly agree with him. So what is a librarian selecting books for
the library to do? After all, it is impossible to become an instant
expert in this or any other subject! In my view, the answer is to use a
method for evaluation which brings to light, as much as possible, the
biases of book reviewers.
In my postings on the controversy surrounding Karsh's book I tried
to indicate one effective approach. Mr. Ben-Gad's posting, citing an
article about Tom Segev in the journal "Azure", gives me the opportunity
to demonstrate explicitely the need for care when looking at reviews or
articles in periodicals and even books. At question is who published it
and how this can alert us to a possible *unwarranted* bias on the part
of a reviewer or author.
The only local public or academic library subscribing to "Azure" is the
University of Toronto. Its online catalogue indicates the periodical is
published by The Shalem Center-Institute for Social Thought, Jerusalem.
In an article published in the Feb.7, 2000 issue of the Canadian Jewish
News, Rabbi Michael Melchior (leader of Meimad, a moderate religious
Israeli party, and former Deputy Foreign Minister in Sharon's previous
cabinet) describes The Shalem Centre as "a right-of-centre think-tank,
and an advisor to Benyamin Netanyahu from the days before he became prime
minister". Further, the "Azure" Web site itself quotes an Oct.9, 1996
article in Ha'aretz (Books Supplement) describing it as a periodical,
"whose aim is to try to grapple with the intellectual success of post-
Zionism, and to present us with a positive Jewish-nationalist alternative
to it." In other words, "Azure" is clearly against the new-historians'
point of view to begin with, and is not at all a dispasionate scholarly
forum for discussion. Also of note is that "Azure"s Web site shows Porath
to be a contributing editor and not simply an author publishing there.
In my perspective, all this places "Azure" outside the same league as
the "Times Literary Supplement", or "Survival" (International Institute
for Strategic Studies), or the "International History Review". I will
certainly read Yehoshua Porath's article - it's on the "Azure" Web site,
though not all parts of each issue are made available there (eg. letters
are not on the site, so one cannot read rejoinders to the articles). But
I'll consider it alongside other materials about Tom Segev's work.
B'shalom,
Bernard Katz, former Head, Special Collections and Library Development
McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph
and founding Treasurer, AJL - Ontario Chapter
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