Tom Segev
Encyclopedia
Tom Segev (born March 1, 1945) is an Israeli historian, author and journalist. He is associated with Israel's so-called New Historians
, a group challenging many of the country's traditional narratives.
and earned a doctorate in history from Boston University
in the 1970s.
(2001–2002), the University of California at Berkeley (2007) and Northeastern University, where he taught a course on Holocaust denial
. He writes a weekly column for the newspaper Haaretz
. His books have appeared in fourteen languages.
in the Los Angeles Times Book Review.
In One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate, a New York Times Editor's Choice Best Book (2000) and a recipient of the National Jewish Book Award, Segev describes the era of the British Mandate in Palestine (1917–1948).
Segev's history of the social and political background of the Six-Day War
, 1967 (2006) states that there was no existential threat to Israel from a military point of view. Segel also doubts that the Arab neighbours would have really attacked Israel. Still, there were large segments of the Israeli population that had a real fear that the Egyptians and Syrians would eliminate them. This would have increased the pressure for the Israeli government in such a way that it opted for a preemptive attack. The attack by the Jordanian army to West Jerusalem would have provided a welcoming reason to invade East Jerusalem, according to Segev. Even though the occupation of East Jerusalem was not political planned, the author considers it was always desired. The book has been described by the historian Saul Friedlander
as "probably the best book on those most fateful days in the history of Israel".
, author of Six Days of War
, and currently Israel's ambassador to the U.S., gave Segev's book on the Six Day War a scathing review, saying "Laboring to prove his point forces Segev not only to contradict himself but also to commit glaring oversights." He also says "...by disregarding the Arab dynamic and twisting his text to meet a revisionist agenda, he undermines his attempt to reach a deeper understanding of the war. Such an understanding is vital if Arabs and Israelis are to avoid similar clashes in the future and peacefully co-exist."
New Historians
The New Historians are a loosely-defined group of Israeli historians who have challenged traditional versions of Israeli history, including Israel's role in the Palestinian Exodus in 1948 and Arab willingness to discuss peace. The term was coined in 1988 by one of the leading New Historians, Benny...
, a group challenging many of the country's traditional narratives.
Early life
Segev was born in Jerusalem in 1945. He studied history and political science at the Hebrew University of JerusalemHebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
and earned a doctorate in history from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
in the 1970s.
Career
Segev worked during the 1970s as a correspondent for Maariv in Bonn. He was a visiting professor at Rutgers UniversityRutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
(2001–2002), the University of California at Berkeley (2007) and Northeastern University, where he taught a course on Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
. He writes a weekly column for the newspaper Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
. His books have appeared in fourteen languages.
Research
In The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust (2000), Segev explores the decisive impact of the Holocaust on the identity, ideology and politics of Israel. Although controversial, it was praised by Elie WieselElie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
in the Los Angeles Times Book Review.
In One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate, a New York Times Editor's Choice Best Book (2000) and a recipient of the National Jewish Book Award, Segev describes the era of the British Mandate in Palestine (1917–1948).
Segev's history of the social and political background of the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, 1967 (2006) states that there was no existential threat to Israel from a military point of view. Segel also doubts that the Arab neighbours would have really attacked Israel. Still, there were large segments of the Israeli population that had a real fear that the Egyptians and Syrians would eliminate them. This would have increased the pressure for the Israeli government in such a way that it opted for a preemptive attack. The attack by the Jordanian army to West Jerusalem would have provided a welcoming reason to invade East Jerusalem, according to Segev. Even though the occupation of East Jerusalem was not political planned, the author considers it was always desired. The book has been described by the historian Saul Friedlander
Saul Friedländer
Saul Friedländer is an award-winning Israeli historian and currently a professor of history at UCLA.-Biography:...
as "probably the best book on those most fateful days in the history of Israel".
Criticism
Michael OrenMichael Oren
Michael B. Oren is an American-born Israeli historian and author and the Israeli ambassador to the United States...
, author of Six Days of War
Six Days of War
Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East is a 2002 non-fiction book by American-Israeli historian and Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, chronicling the events of the Six-Day War fought between Israel and its Arab neighbors...
, and currently Israel's ambassador to the U.S., gave Segev's book on the Six Day War a scathing review, saying "Laboring to prove his point forces Segev not only to contradict himself but also to commit glaring oversights." He also says "...by disregarding the Arab dynamic and twisting his text to meet a revisionist agenda, he undermines his attempt to reach a deeper understanding of the war. Such an understanding is vital if Arabs and Israelis are to avoid similar clashes in the future and peacefully co-exist."
Published works
- 1949: The First Israelis (Hebrew: 1984, ISBN 965-261-040-2; EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: 1998, ISBN 0-8050-5896-6) - Soldiers of Evil: The Commandants of the Nazi Concentration Camps (1988, ISBN 0-07-056058-7)
- One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate (2000, ISBN 0-316-64859-0)
- The Seventh Million: Israelis and the Holocaust (2000, ISBN 0-8050-6660-8)
- Elvis in Jerusalem: Post-Zionism and the Americanization of Israel (2003, ISBN 0-8050-7288-8)
- Israel in 1967. And the land changed its visage (Hebrew: 2005, ISBN 965-07-1370-0)
- 1967: Israel, the War and the Year That Transformed the Middle East, Metropolitan Books (2006)
- Simon Wiesenthal: The Life and Legends, Jonathan CapeJonathan CapeJonathan Cape was a London-based publisher founded in 1919 as "Page & Co" by Herbert Jonathan Cape , formerly a manager at Duckworth who had worked his way up from a position of bookshop errand boy. Cape brought with him the rights to cheap editions of the popular author Elinor Glyn and sales of...
(2010)
Further reading
- Interview with Riz Khan on Al Jazeera English, 05 June 2007
- Video: Presentation and Q&A with Ralph Begleiter at the University of Delaware April 22, 2009
- Israel & Palestine: Eternal Enmity? by Segev from The New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...