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PARTISAN REVIEW
who defined themselves as nonreligious what they were keeping. Less than
one percent did not keep anything.
Herbert Ferber:
How does the economic situation affect the religious or
political situation: Is it overriding or not? I know that there is a severe
eco–
nomic problem, and
in
most countries economic problems are extremely
im–
portant
RB-]:
There is an economic problem. But the standard of living is rising
all
the time. Israelis say they are richer and richer; their state is poorer and
poorer. There is unemployment, but less than in many European countries.
The main problem is the distribution ofunemployment: not much ofit in the
big cities but more on the periphery. Inflation
was
reduced, but it still exists.
This year it will be around seventeen to twenty percent. This is a big
achievement because we had four hundred percent inflation. But the long
expected economic growth is not coming. There is a lot of
talk
ofhow severe
the economic situation is.
It
might be severe on the abstract level, but it is not
felt except by the unemployed. Seven hundred thousand Israelis are taking
summer trips abroad
this
year.
Herbert Ferber:
So it doesn't affect the political situation?
RB-]:
No. It does affect unemployment, but it does not affect voting for a
specific party. There are all kinds of suggestions about what should be done,
but economics are not really a party program, and therefore will not affect
how people vote, not yet
Barbara Solamon:
You mentioned the sort of eternal kibbitzing ofAmericans
over Israel and you explained how that affects the religious people. But what
about the number ofAmericans writing on Israel, be it from the right or the
left, how is that perceived in Israel: Is it a negative thing? How do Israelis
feel about this tremendous American expertise?
RB-]:
Expertise in what?
BS:
About advising Israel on what to do, that Americans are constantly ad–
vising Israelis. We can go the gamut from left to right. What effect does this
have on Israel?
RB-]:
Israelis have a feeling, I don't mean all Israelis, that because we live in
a stressful situation, not only now but all the time, when people say you
should do this and that, they should live in Israel and try it out. But there
is
a
difference between American ideas about economics, which is much more
acceptable, and politics. This is an emotional response, but it really causes
many people not to listen to what the Americans are saying. Maybe they
should
It
also depends on the party or the political context For example, at a
certain stage the peace movement was useful but then it had a boomerang
effect: when they thought that the only way to solve the peace question
was
for the Americans to put pressure on the Israeli government. In Israel, that
raised much antagonism. When it comes to the question of the PLO, for ex-
