We recently had some CGO time with Gershom Gorenberg, who is an American-born Israeli historian and journalist. He has written extensively on the history of Israel, Jewish settlements and Israeli- American relations. He came to UO to give a talk based on his most recent book entitled The Making and Unmaking of Israel. Since his talk was in the evening, during our regularly scheduled dinner, we were able to snag him for lunch at the Carson Dining Hall. We hadn’t seen his talk yet, but despite his delayed flights and only just having arrived in Eugene, he proved to be full of insight and up for a conversation with us, even over a lunch of dorm food.

Lunch in Carson Dining Hall with Gershom Gorenberg

Gorenberg gave us his own history, how he was born in St Louis and how he ended up in Israel and then we pushed him to identify his ethical stance on issues, especially regarding when he wrote about and interpreted Israeli- Palestinian relations and histories. He talked about Israeli political culture, where debate and disagreement are favorably looked upon as a way to better-understand situations, and he emphasized the diversity of opinions and ideas in Israel regarding issues with Palestinians. Gorenberg considers himself a liberal orthodox Jew, breaking stereotypes that many Americans have about political leanings and religion in Israel.

His talk that evening focused on issues such as what makes a state and when does it begin. Israel expressed its power and abilities several times, before and after being declared a state by the UN. What the state does with that power is what defines it. More to the point of the CGO and ethics is the question of revolutionaries versus institutionaries. He asks the question, which is a better or more effective way to procure change? Working within the system (which we saw with Dr. Joyce Leader in our discussions with her in our previous session) or leaving the system altogether to enact change from the outside and beyond the rules imposed by institutions? Is revolution an effective way to create change? Often it may be more violent or exploitative, but possibly an avenue for quicker change? Or do rules and laws need to be changed from the inside, but at a much slower pace?  These are important ethical and practical questions for people looking to make changes in the world.