The Wexner Foundation witch hunt could turn Israel into a backward state
If implemented, the exclusive and isolationist approach that Hacohen presented could prove dangerous, and potentially turn Israel into a backward state like North Korea.
By NADAV TAMIROVER THE YEARS, the Wexner Foundation leadership programs have enriched some 500 Israeli civil servants who studied with America’s best professors and shared classes with officials from all over the world.(photo credit: HARVARD UNIVERSITY)
Israel is witnessing an unprecedented witch hunt against the Wexner Foundation. It is motivated by an attempt to help Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoid his trial.Among those condemning the foundation, we heard a surprising voice to which I would like to address this article.In an interview with Erel Segal on 103 FM on July 14, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen claimed that the State of Israel should take exclusive responsibility for educating and enriching its officers and senior public officials. He added that Israel should definitely not send them to Harvard, since the universal content taught at foreign universities is not relevant to Israel’s unique purpose, mission and context.To offer full disclosure, Hacohen was my commander when I was a company commander and deputy regiment commander in the reserve forces of the IDF. I greatly appreciate his intellectual abilities and curiosity, despite our contrary political persuasions.If implemented, the exclusive and isolationist approach that Hacohen presented could prove dangerous, and potentially turn Israel into a backward state like North Korea.The greatness of Judaism and of the State of Israel has always been in the ability to combine our distinct character as the People of the Book together with our creative spirit, and pair this with a global perspective and orientation. These unique qualities probably account for the remarkable fact that more than 20% of Nobel laureates are Jews and that Israel became the Start-Up Nation.These results were not achieved through close-mindedness, but rather through openness and broad vision. It is precisely the Jewish values that emphasize education – education open to debate and criticism, framed within a universal and global perspective – that brings about these achievements. Such accomplishments do not come through rigid dogmatism.In fact, the officers and senior civil servants who went to Harvard through the generosity of the Wexner Foundation are graduates of the Israeli education system, were members of youth movements and served in the military. The Wexner fellows arrive at Harvard instilled with values acquired through their experiences and education in Israel.These are Israelis, with years of experience and expertise, are dedicated to serving the State of Israel. The Israeli fellows have a great influence on their classmates, who exert no less of an influence upon them. This is also true about PM Netanyahu who went to MIT, and his brother Yoni who went to Harvard.The leading universities in Israel are rated by their ability to publish in international publications, conduct joint research with foreign scholars and combine their unique expertise with global insights. The case of Iran demonstrates what happens to a talented public with a remarkable culture that was halted by the isolation forced upon it by the ayatollahs. Iranians with academic aspirations are now forced to emigrate to the West.The concern articulated by Hacohen – that our officers and senior civil servants will be overly influenced by universal attitudes and will forget our unique circumstances – resounds as non-Zionist and a reflection of the shtetl or ghetto mentality, when we were not confident in our ability to cope with foreign influences. We established the State of Israel to end fear over what the gentiles think or say, as an embodiment of our confidence in who we are, what we have, and in our ability to cope and to contribute to the world.WE HAVE tremendous strength. From this position of strength, we can both learn from the world and teach the world. This can only be achieved through engagement and not isolation.Every professor in Harvard can attest to the great contribution of the Wexner fellows both in and out of the classroom. The Jewish community of Greater Boston can attest to the enriching experience of the engagement of the fellows with the community. All the fellows can attest to the tremendous impact of this life-changing year, where we learned the importance of mutual commitment between Israel and the American Jewish community.Another claim that was raised in that interview was that a private foundation should not be the one to send the fellows to Harvard, but rather they should be sent by the state. The appropriate reply is that Israel is a joint venture between Israel and world Jewry, just like Birthright (Taglit) is a joint venture of private funds, the Shustermans, Rothschilds, Mandels, and numerous others, as well as projects led by the Jewish Federations in Israel. All are a Zionist collaboration that attests to the fact that we are the homeland of the Jewish people.On its own, without the partnership of a dedicated Zionist like Wexner, the Israeli government could not afford to send 10 outstanding people from its public sector annually to Harvard. Just like other joint ventures, the government monitors and regulates the process to assure that it is professional and not political, and that the fellows who apply for the fellowship indeed represent the whole spectrum of Israeli society. This was clearly heard from Shmuel Hollander, the former commissioner of civil service in his brief testimony in the Knesset committee and his op-ed in Yediot.I am appalled when the attacks against the Wexner Foundation come from those who portray public servants in Israel as a dangerous leftist elite trying to steal the seat of the acting prime minister. However, when a Zionist intellectual such as Maj.-Gen. Hacohen joined the efforts to end this patriotic Zionist program that contributes so much to the State of Israel I wonder, “E tu Brute?” my friend and mentor Gershon?The writer is the chair of the Israel Wexner Alumni Association. He was chosen as a Wexner fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2003, and was an Israeli diplomat and a foreign policy adviser for many years.
Related TagsWexner Foundation
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store
