We Should All Be Zionists: Essays on the Jewish State and the Path to Peace

by Einat Wilf, Avraham Vofsi (Illustrator), Samuel Hyde (Editor)

"We Should All Be Zionists" is the third volume in Dr Einat WIlf's trilogy, after "Winning The War of Words" and "Telling Our Story". It brings together her essays on Israel, Zionism and the path to peace, which were published in a wide range of publications over the past four years. They present Wilf's key insights on the Jewish State, the essence of the conflict, and the hope for peace that is to be found in the Abraham Accords and changes in the Arab world.

Genres: Israel, Jewish, Nonfiction, Judaism, Politics, History

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 14, 2022

About the author

Einat Wilf (Hebrew: עינת וילף‎‎, born 11 December 1970) is an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Independence and the Labor Party.
Einat Wilf was born in Jerusalem. She studied at the Hebrew University Secondary School. During her national service in the Israel Defense Forces she was an Intelligence Officer in Unit 8200 and reached the rank of lieutenant. She then went to Harvard University, receiving a BA in government and fine arts, before earning an MBA from INSEAD in France, and subsequently a PhD in political science at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge.
She completed her military service as an Intelligence Officer in Unit 8200 with the rank of Lieutenant.
Wilf is married to German journalist and television personality Richard Gutjahr. She gave birth to their son in 2010.
Wilf describes herself as a Zionist and an atheist.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit repetitive because the essays cover similar ground but this is a must read for those that want to understand the Zionist view and why it is so important.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think everyone should read this. Einat Wilf writes so accessibly and with such clarity, and she illuminated so many things that I didn't have the words for. It's a very validating read, especially considering the current situation, and it gives me a lot of hope which I feel I've been lacking. Some of the essays are a bit repetitive, I will say, so you can kind of pick and choose which ones to read, but they're all worth the time.

[Butler Family · Rating 4 out of 5]

needs a good editor.

The author does a great job with the fundamental cause of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Very surprising from a lapsed liberal. The book is a collection of article published since 2020 with whole paragraphs cut and pasted. Her treatment of the settler movement, Secular Israeli, right wing political parties and un-Zionistic religious Jews is insufficient to round the Israeli side of the conflict. It is worth reading but be prepared to skip a lot of paragraphs

[Anouk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love when I read a book and actually learn something new. This was one of those books. The downsides were that it got repetitive as many of the essays share common ground, and I found it annoying that important points were in bold and italics…it felt like “Oh, you can’t tell where the important parts are?? They’re ✨HERE✨”

[Sherif Gerges · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was in two minds when reading this book. At times, it presented a rational dogmatism advocating for liberal values which, if realized, could effectively sever the toxic and unendurable co-dependency existing between Israelis and Palestinians. As a gentile, I also learned the complex narrative of the Jewish story and identity, a subject about which my prior knowledge was notably scant. Other times however, I was dumbfounded at some of Wilf's core positions.

Beginning with what I can agree with - Wilf recognizes the necessity for an Israeli state to respond positively to Palestinian peace initiatives as they arise. For instance, she references instances where an Arab Israeli minister acknowledged the Jewish state and denounced violent resistance. In her view, these are victories that ought to be acknowledged and promoted.

Furthermore, she proposes that Israel must end settlements completely. Undoubtedly, this is highly rational - the expansion of settlements in the West Bank has only served to intensify resistance and acts of terrorism. She also opposes negotiations predicated on what she calls "constructive ambiguity", referring to the vagueness surrounding the actual negotiation terms. Specifically, the details of land swaps between Palestinians and Israelis - have been obfuscated by their lack of details, thus rendering agreements like the Oslo Accords meaningless.

Finally, she also calls on Palestinians to denounce violence, which hitherto has only failed the Palestinian cause and contributed to the destabilization of the entire region. I very much agree with this. The strategies of armed resistance/terrorism by Fatah or Hamas have incontrovertibly failed to achieve a single positive outcome for the Palestinians, but has only deepened their woes and mistreatment. It is like feeding growth hormone to a brain tumor.

Then there are the bad parts of this book. This is where Wilf commits herself to implacably clinging to bizarre, indefensible positions. For example, she believes that UNRWA should be disbanded because it inculcates Palestinians with the Right of Return, and she argues this fuels their dream of returning to Palestine and subsequently, energizes their militarism.

This is delusional talk. If the Jewish diaspora dreamed of a return to Israel and their own state, how can we expect the Palestinians to eschew their own dreams of a kibbutz galuyot? I.e a return to Palestinian land? Jaffa, Lydda, Tiberias, Tantura and Haifa were all cities with a majority Arab populations that were expelled during a war just a generation ago. How can we expect them to relinquish those memories? The double standards are so blatantly obvious and extreme that it's difficult to imagine that Wilf has not previously considered them.

To be clear, I do support a two-state solution, and believe anything else would compromise the viability and integrity of the one-state fantasy the political Left espouses (and it certainly wouldn't be a Jewish state). However, it's hard to acknowledge the connection between Jews and Israel without recognizing the one for Palestinians too.

Therein, she also valorizes Ze'ev Jabotsinky, yet remarkably maintains that Israel is not a "colonial state". How she simultaneously holds these two positions is beyond me. In his own essay, Jabotinsky acknowledged that the Arabs would strongly resist Zionism, as any native population would. While I agree the Zionist project was a necessary one for the Jewish diaspora, and one buttressed by the unique narrative of the Jewish people, it seems insincere to deny that this was enabled by many of the same features that characterizes European colonialism writ large.

In summary, I enjoyed reading this book. There were times that Wilf struck me as profoundly good writer who brought up interesting analogies between concepts I hadn't considered before (e.g Zionism and feminism). However, it struck me as bizarre and egregious that she shows little understanding of the Palestinian cause, despite a career which, at least superficially, seemed to depend on it.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays by former Israeli Knesset member and intellectual Dr. Einat Wilf. She starts with a point I've never considered before, but I should have: Zionism is actually the first progressive liberal case that has shown that a liberal ideal can be reached in reality. This is true: Zionism has achieved its primary goal - creating an independent, modern, democratic Jewish state in the land of Israel, thus showing that self-determination, decolonization of the land and building of decent civil society is possible.
The book consists of articles, some dedicated to various aspects of Israel's society, but mostly discussing aspects of Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the postulate that the conflict can only be resolved once the Arab nations, including Palestinians, will accept the fact of Israeli existence and will cease all and any attempts to destroy it.
There is also a podcast with the same name, where each article is discussed by Wilf and Blake Flayton

[Castles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Editorial wise, this book is a little repetitive. There’s a lot of point to agree with her, and some which I don’t (advice to American reformists jews how to further secularize Israel, huh?). Wilf is an interesting example of a left winger politician who made the oposite journey to the center after the refusal of Arafat to the Camp David accords, and she, like many others, woke up to the realization that it’s not a state that the Palestinian want, it’s inhalation.

Her term "westplaining" is quite a good way to make the point clear - when the Palestinians tell you what they intend to do with the jewish state and the jews — believe them.

Obviously, after October 7th, many things about this book are either naive or irrelevant, but I know for a fact (podcasts and such), that Wilf made even greater steps towards whatever it is which is not the Israeli left anymore.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I got through this quickly and enjoyed Wilf's insights (some of which offered perspectives I had never heard before!), I do wish there was a way to be a bit more selective in which essays she featured, or if they could have been edited for the volume a bit more. There was a lot of repetition that could have been edited to make this a bit more of a cohesive whole rather than fragments. This is perhaps personal preference though, as it's possible the essays are intended to still stand on their own.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep and Relevant

This book took a deep dive into the complexities and challenges of being a Jewish nation in a dangerous neighborhood. It was open minded to the suffering of both sides. There were practical and thoughtfully layer out solutions based on the struggle of two stories in one land.

[Robert Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Einat Wilf captures the essence of Zionism in a profound way. Incredibly smart, easy to understand and with a strong command of history, Einat Wilf should re enter politics as her ideas give hope with there pragmatic idealism. Her words are good for Israel and for the Jewish people.

[ish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone, Zionist or not, Jewish or not, should be reading this book.

[Lisa Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing, smart.

[Chana Ceasar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prompt #1 in challenge
4✨ I read this book for book club and really enjoyed the way it made me think about the I/P conflict. My biggest complaint has to be with the title because I think it will put people off from reading this book because of the way Zionism has been demonized. I believe it’s important that people read this book to understand what is underneath the conflict and what is truly getting in the way. Highly recommend

[Erika Dreifus]

A collection of published essays and other pieces that offer cogent, clarifying takes. Some of the material repeats, but in a sense, that's a benefit; much of what's here really can't be overstated.