Zev Chafets
Encyclopedia
Zev Chafets is an American-Israeli author and columnist
who was born and raised in Pontiac, Michigan
.
, he moved to Israel
. He spent a decade in the army, government service and politics. In 1977, he was appointed director of the Government Press Office, a post he held for five years during the administration of Prime Minister Menachem Begin
. Chafets was an active participant in the Egyptian-Israeli peace process and a delegate to the first Israeli-Egyptian peace negotiations.
He was the founding managing editor of the Jerusalem Report magazine and is the author of twelve books of fiction, media criticism, and social and political commentary, three of which have been named Notable Books of the Year (by The New York Times). He is also the recipient of the 2008 Wilbur Award for his book A Match Made In Heaven.
He was a regular columnist for the New York Daily News
from 2000 until 2004. Today his columns appear frequently in major newspapers around the world, including The New York Times
, the Los Angeles Times
and the New York Post
. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Sunday Magazine. In 2008, his NYT Magazine cover story on Mike Huckabee
was a finalist for the National Magazine Award
.
Chafets is a spirited political polemicist. A strong supporter of Israel, he has been a vocal critic of Arab dictatorships, Islamic radicalism, extremist groups such as Hizbollah and Hamas, and what he perceives as a pro-Palestinian bias in academia and the media. He is also well-known for his opposition to the role of religious political parties in Israel.
as "the brains and the spirit behind" the Republican Party
's "resurgence" in the wake of the 2008 election of President Barack Obama
. Among other specifics in the May, 2010 op-ed column, Chafets pointed to Sen. Arlen Specter
, who was defeated in a Democratic
primary in Pennsylvania: Limbaugh had labeled him, when Specter was still a Republican, "Republican in Name Only." Chafets also reported that Sarah Palin
's "biggest current applause line — Republicans are not just the party of no, but the party of hell no — came courtesy of Mr. Limbaugh." More generally, Chafets wrote, Limbaugh has argued the party-of-no Ronald Reagan
conservative course for the Republicans vigorously, notably since six weeks after the Obama victory, and has been fundamental to, and encouraging to, the more prominently noted Tea Party movement
. Limbaugh is the subject of Chafets' 2010 book Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One.
And five novels
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
who was born and raised in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
.
Early life and Israel
After graduating from the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, he moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He spent a decade in the army, government service and politics. In 1977, he was appointed director of the Government Press Office, a post he held for five years during the administration of Prime Minister Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
. Chafets was an active participant in the Egyptian-Israeli peace process and a delegate to the first Israeli-Egyptian peace negotiations.
He was the founding managing editor of the Jerusalem Report magazine and is the author of twelve books of fiction, media criticism, and social and political commentary, three of which have been named Notable Books of the Year (by The New York Times). He is also the recipient of the 2008 Wilbur Award for his book A Match Made In Heaven.
He was a regular columnist for the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
from 2000 until 2004. Today his columns appear frequently in major newspapers around the world, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
and the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Sunday Magazine. In 2008, his NYT Magazine cover story on Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
was a finalist for the National Magazine Award
National Magazine Award
The National Magazine Awards are a series of US awards that honor excellence in the magazine industry. They are administered by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City...
.
Chafets is a spirited political polemicist. A strong supporter of Israel, he has been a vocal critic of Arab dictatorships, Islamic radicalism, extremist groups such as Hizbollah and Hamas, and what he perceives as a pro-Palestinian bias in academia and the media. He is also well-known for his opposition to the role of religious political parties in Israel.
Rush Limbaugh biography
After the first primaries of the 2010 U.S. election season, Chafets identified Rush LimbaughRush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
as "the brains and the spirit behind" the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
's "resurgence" in the wake of the 2008 election of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Among other specifics in the May, 2010 op-ed column, Chafets pointed to Sen. Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
, who was defeated in a Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
primary in Pennsylvania: Limbaugh had labeled him, when Specter was still a Republican, "Republican in Name Only." Chafets also reported that Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
's "biggest current applause line — Republicans are not just the party of no, but the party of hell no — came courtesy of Mr. Limbaugh." More generally, Chafets wrote, Limbaugh has argued the party-of-no Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
conservative course for the Republicans vigorously, notably since six weeks after the Obama victory, and has been fundamental to, and encouraging to, the more prominently noted Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
. Limbaugh is the subject of Chafets' 2010 book Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One.
Books
Seven works of non-fiction- Double Vision: How America's Press Distorts Our View of the Middle East (1985)
- Heroes and Hustlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men (1986)
- Members of the Tribe (Bantam Hardcover- 1988)
- Devil's Night: And Other True Tales of Detroit (1990)
- A Match Made in Heaven: American Jews, Christian Zionists, and One Man's Exploration of the Weird and Wonderful Judeo-Evangelical Alliance (HarperCollins Hardcover - Jan 9, 2007)
- Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame (2009, Bloomsbury USA)
- Rush Limbaugh: An Army of One (2010)
And five novels
- Inherit the Mob (Random House)
- The Bookmakers (Random House)
- The Project (Warner Books)
- Whacking Jimmy (as William Wolf) ((Villard))
- Hang Time (Warner Books)