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The second book is on American Jewry, and it’s not bad. True, it is given to sweeping generalizations (the Orthodox do not support a democratic Israel; the non-Orthodox are on the verge of assimilation) that are difficult to stomach, but he gets a lot of things right. Note the following:

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*American Jewry is far too focused on the idea of Jewish victimhood. (Correct. We are Jewish because being Jewish is a joy and a privilege and Judaism is a compelling, commanding religious tradition; not because everyone hates us.)

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*The Jewish situation on campus is deeply troubling. (Correct.)

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*Our problems on campus are due in some measure to the fact that too many of our young people have not received a serious Jewish education. (Correct.)

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*They are due also to the fact that Israel’s democratic character and the growth of West Bank settlements are major issues on campus and for all younger Jews. (Correct. The fact that we keep saying “settlements are not the issue” does not make the issue go away—particularly on campus. If you don’t believe me, ask a young Jew that you know.)

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Beinart’s contemptuous dismissal of major Jewish leadership goes farther than it needs to or should—and I say that as a self-interested party who has had a role in that leadership for many years. The idea that Jewish leaders are simply unthinking apologists for immorality strikes me as absurd. Still, exaggerations aside, Israel’s democratic character IS an issue, and an important one. So too is the looming possibility of the one-state solution, which is already gaining currency on campus and elsewhere. But even those Jewish leaders who recognize this have little credibility with the young; these leade

Peter Beinart: brash, reckless, often wrong, occasionally right