Critical Praise for Jerusalem Calling by Joel Schalit
*Selected for Publishers Weekly “Best Books of 2002” list
“This remarkable collection of essays by an astute young writer covers a wide range of topics … [and] provides an overview of contemporary critical, radical thinking … This is the debut of a new and original thinker.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The essays combine provocative political analysis and a powerful first-person voice. Schalit’s artful blending of the personal and the political is bound to make some readers uncomfortable. But it’s also what makes Jerusalem Calling so good.”
—San Francisco Bay Guardian
“Over time Schalit has risen to the forefront of a new leftist culture that’s postmodern and ultra-aware but still believes in the power of activism.”
—SF Weekly
“Jerusalem Calling delivers thoughtful, passionate analyses of subjects including the religious fundamentalism of American cultural politics, the failures of the left, the inner conflicts of punk, and the past, present, and future of the Arab-Israeli conflict … Schalit’s meditations on a recent journey to Israel are more refreshingly insightful than most any other current writing on the Middle East.”
—Clamor
“Joel Schalit’s passions are unrestrained but his arguments are impeccable, his attitude distinctive. He has a clear eye for nuance and subtext, and a sharp scalpel for hypocrisy and pretense. You will hear a lot from and about this writer in the future, so be smart: get in on the ground floor. Jerusalem is calling and we all have to answer from the cell phones in our minds and hearts.”
—Danny Schechter, author of News Dissector
“Schalit’s anticapitalist, Jewish, postpunk perspectives on the Middle East, the relevance of rock music, and the true impact of religion in America pack a powerful punch, yet resonate with fellow feeling.”
—Booklist
“A thoughtful collection of essays.”
—Rain Taxi Review of Books
“It’s a palpably vulnerable and excruciatingly honest read, and a compelling milestone in American public intellectual life.”
—XLR8R
“Schalit successfully utilizes his diverse background to articulate a persuasive and progressive view of the modern world. Schalit is a thinker of our times …”
—The Stranger
“Joel Schalit is a model punk. Outspoken and revolutionary yet levelheaded, he has channeled his wild intellectual energy toward the pursuit of organized rebellion. Jerusalem Calling [is] an amazingly readable collection of essays focusing on his politics, ideology, and heritage as a Marxist, a secular Jew, and a Zionist.”
—Portland Mercury
ISRAEL
VS.
UTOPIA
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Portions of this book were previously published by Allvoices, France 24, the Guardian, Tikkun, and Zeek. A condensed version of Israel vs.Utopia’s second chapter, “Everything Falls Apart,” is available in the collection Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice, edited by Rabbi Or N. Rose, Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, and Margie Klein (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2008).
Published by Akashic Books
© 2009 Joel Schalit
ePUB ISBN-13: 978-1-936070-32-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-933354-87-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009922937
All rights reserved
First printing
Akashic Books
PO Box 1456
New York, NY 10009
For Jennifer
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1 My Egyptian President
CHAPTER 2 Everything Falls Apart
CHAPTER 3 The Terms of Israel Criticism
CHAPTER 4 Apartheid and Its Surpluses
CHAPTER 5 A Desperate Embrace
CHAPTER 6 Safe European Home
CHAPTER 7 Moving Pictures
CHAPTER 8 Israel vs. Utopia
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Every book takes awhile to will itself into being. Some gestate longer than others, especially when you work a full-time job as an editor. Though it may seem like an ideal space to get work done—during the time of this book’s writing, I held down editorial gigs at three separate periodicals and edited three books—depending on how much consideration your subject demands, it’s more likely that the actual writing will take a lot longer than you ever could have imagined.
To that end, I cannot thank my publisher, Johnny Temple, enough, for waiting as long as he did for Israelvs. Utopia to finally materialize. Johnny, you’ve been a mensch, as always. And then some. The same goes for Akashic’s managing editor, Johanna Ingalls, and editor Ibrahim Ahmad. You all have been wonderful, supportive, and unbelievably patient with me. I’m thrilled to still be working with you after eight
