Tony Judt in a time of destruction

Born and raised in England in a Jewish family originally from central Europe, Tony Judt trained as a historian of Europe and taught at the City University of New York until his untimely death from Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2010. Judt was a dedicated commentator on current affairs, and after his death his widow published a collection of his essays called When the Facts Change, a title which derives from the famous quote “I change my mind – what do you do, Sir?” The book is a beautiful final tribute to a man who dedicated his life to the careful study of history and was committed above anything else to finding facts, studying them and interpreting the present in this light.

Judt’s views on Israel, which he knew personally from working in a kibbutz, were outspoken and controversial. Back in 2003 already, Judt argued that the Oslo peace process was dead; its moment had gone. Like many Israelis, he feared that Israeli political culture and civil morality would be fatally eroded by the ongoing conflict; that Israel would end up trying to establish a Greater Israel by means of ethnic cleansing, and end up neither Jewish nor democratic.

In addition to this, Judt argued that Israel was a disaster for American politics and prestige throughout the world, and actually harmful for Jews abroad, as they would be (unjustly but understandably) blamed for Israel’s policies. The only possible scenario was that of a binational Jewish-Arab state; not because it was likely to be easy, but because any alternatives were going to be so much worse. To redress the situation, Judt argued, “sooner or later an American statesman is going to have to tell the truth to an Israeli prime minister and find a way to make him listen.”

I disagree with Judt’s proposed solution; it’s too secular and not sufficiently rooted in the religious history of the Middle East. Overall, however, I find his take both prescient and truthful. But is this how Christians should respond to war and conflict – by delegating responsibility to an elected leader? Or even to courageous secular thinkers such as Judt?

Called to think

It is true that big problems in the world are genuinely complex – far too complex for any individual, and involving more data and scholarship than even a dedicated expert can keep up with. But not caring and not getting involved is hardly an option either.

As Christians we have an important advantage: we are not alone. We are organized – by denomination, in civic organizations with Christian inspiration such as schools, labour unions, media, and even political parties. There is a lot of experience, knowledge, skill and networking potential there, when almost everywhere else it has been fatally eroded.

In addition, the Christian church is not typically a political agent or an interest group. Church groups can speak out with authority precisely because they do not serve any commercial or ideological interest. A local church group, for example, can focus on an issue close by, such as homelessness, heritage preservation or city planning. A larger-scale Christian network can focus on an international or systemic issue. I have seen this happen locally in the United States, and participated in a similar process in the Netherlands.

Yes, there is confusion and uncertainty everywhere. But there is still a wealth of quality opinion writing and other resources available – books, essays, documentaries, research articles – that engage the core issues of our time. Judt’s work is only one example. Even if Christian groups are not ready to be as courageous as he was, they can still make sure that important contributions are not forgotten.