Stop the Boycott of Israeli Culture
The Jews are known as the people of the book. Not many people are aware that this expression originated in Islam and refers to those who received the divine word of Allah in the form of scripture. The phrase has become a proud and gentle chide among Jews, conjuring memories of a people with their noses in books as the world either passed them by or persecuted them.
That a group of authors — including Sally Rooney, Jhumpa Lahiri and Jonathan Lethem — have signed an open letter calling for a boycott of Israeli cultural institutions, including publishers, festivals, literary agencies and publications said to be “complicit in violating Palestinian rights”, strikes us as a counterproductive and misguided rebuff by the very people who have been our comrades in the sacred mission of making books.… Seguir leyendo »