Gideon's Lecture

Gideon Goldsmith is a fictional character in my novel Ash on the Vine. The below address was the very first thing I wrote for the work, originally intended as a forward but it was highly criticised by a literary competition judge and I decided not to include it in the published version. However, last Thursday, during a salon style event where I was invited to talk about the book, I read it out to the audience and they encouraged me to publish it here…

Gideon Goldsmith Phd

Doctor of Philosophy

Lecture

27th September 1991

University of Haifa

We’ve been a people for over 2,000 years and for all of those years, leading up to right now, we’ve been a persecuted people. But it’s how we have responded to persecution that has made us an interesting people and different from other tribes. Not that we are one tribe. We come from all over the globe. The Middle East, originally. Or was it Africa?

China, Eastern Europe, Europe, America, Australia, India. Most countries across the globe have their Jews. So, how do we respond to persecution? It should be an easy question to answer, because we only have to look at each other to observe how we behave and what motivates us.

As a Palestinian Islamist once said to me, ‘you lot love life, whilst we honour death and dying for our cause.’ And it is true, we do love life; all of our tribes. Is that a crime? Is it the reason that we’re still here despite all the antisemitism?

Think about that a moment.

What does loving life mean?

It means embracing it; the chance to survive, to be safe, to work, to look after our families, enjoy our lives and feel connected. For thousands of years, it has meant the opportunity to live as citizens in a country of someone else’s heritage and we have always been grateful for that. We play the game of life with gusto, even here in Israel you can see it; we work hard, we are creative and our country thrives. People who are not Jewish don’t see us as victims because in their eyes they only see us as successful. They don’t understand that it is our love of life that makes us so, and still, we are the victims of vilification ad infinitum, from slavery to genocide and goodness knows what else.

I will put something to you. Something you may not realise. Something that’s hiding in plain sight. To people on the outside of the Jewish collective consciousness, our enthusiasm for life is often perceived as love of power, toxicity, responsibility for all the evil on this earth. When actually, most of us are just thankful for being tolerated. And we hope, we always hope, that those who lord it over us will keep tolerating us and not cause us any more harm; we yearn to call them our friends.

We are the descendants of children who have been bullied and kicked by others, generation, after generation, after generation, after generation. Hitler spread the word that we are vermin, others call us dirty, so we wash a lot. There are other telltale signs. Blemishes that only show in a certain light. The hatred we experience, have always experienced, has created in us a syndrome called Jewish guilt. Guilt for never being good enough. Guilt for being ourselves. Hate messages that have stained the Jewish subconscious. They hate us and we feel guilty. If we are guilty then we must have done something wrong, so they punish us and hate us some more. It is a never ending cycle of hatred and oppression. Perhaps it is the reason why Israel is the only country whose defence strategy has been continually blamed as aggression by the UN and the rest of the world and our ancient homeland deemed to be ‘occupied’.

Compassion for those who want to kill us is not healthy. Being swayed by how the world thinks of us is not to our advantage, on the contrary. Health is a finely tuned instinct for survival, to protect ourselves from our enemies and not hold back from that because the world demands it. If we don’t do that for our children and our children’s children, what sickness is that?

But what if we no longer feel guilty? Supposing we feel we have the same right as anyone else on this planet to be human without perpetual condemnation and we mirror that back to the world. What do you think might happen? If we learn how not to be guilty victims and become a people who are on our own side, not worrying so much about the other side. Perhaps if we start seeing ourselves, not as reflected in the eyes of our enemies, but by each one of us making contact with the core of our own beings and reflect that back to the world, maybe then we can be cured of antisemitism.

PRAISE FOR ASH ON THE VINE

“Very prescient and very moving.” Malcolm Stern, psychotherapist and author of Slay Your Dragons With Compassion.

“From the ashes of the Holocaust in Europe, across Iraq and India, to the fruit on the vines in Israel over three generations. This is the journey Michelle Shine takes us on in her fabulous novel. Ash on the Vine is a story of survival, of Holocaust secrets, love and revenge. It is a psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. It is also packed with information and relationships about the people and conflicts of the Middle East. Shine is a writer who clearly researches her subject, showing analytical skills and lateral thought that elevates this novel to a cut above.” Sharon Klaff, independent journalist.

“In uncertain times, this page-turning book of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, can give us all the courage we lack - yet need - to face our own fears and uncertainties in turbulent times.” Tal Hartuv, author of The Rage Less Traveled.

“Beautifully written family saga cum political thriller that encapsulates a breadth of emotions so prevalent in our time. I couldn’t put it down.” Amanda Weinberg, author of The Italian Bookshop Amongst the Vines.

“Ash on the Vine is a beautifully written book by a thoughtful writer who understands that to shut away the painful past exposes us to repeating it.” Dr Ed Bonner, author of Colour Me White.

‘Not only is this a great story, brilliantly written, but it is also provides an incredibly well researched set of insights into the history, people, politics and geography of Israel (and even its excellent wines!). Anybody who wants to learn more about this (without the usual mainstream bias) while following a real thriller should read this book,’ Professor Norman Fenton, co-author of Fighting Goliath.

"Ash on the Vine is a complex family story that offers an emotive and thought-provoking look at the impact of a traumatic past, secrets kept hidden and wounds that haven’t healed.” Love Reading

Ash on the Vine has been longlisted for the Yeovil Prize and the Fiction Factory’s First Chapter Award.

Available from www.michelleshine.co.uk, Amazon and all good bookshops.