Gadi Taub facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gadi Taub
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| גדי טאוב | |
Gadi Taub, 2009
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| Born | April 19, 1965 Jerusalem, Israel
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| Alma mater | Rutgers University |
| Employer | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
Gadi Taub (Hebrew: גדי טאוב) was born on April 19, 1965, in Jerusalem, Israel. He is a historian, author, and screenwriter. He also shares his opinions on political topics. He works as a teacher at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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About Gadi Taub's Life
Gadi Taub grew up in Jerusalem. His grandparents on his mother's side were early supporters of Zionism from Poland. They moved to what was then called Mandatory Palestine in the 1920s. His father and grandfather, Yitzhak and Yahezkel Taub, left Czechoslovakia in 1939. This was after the Nazis invaded. When they arrived in Mandatory Palestine, the British held them for a short time.
Later, his father, Yitzhak, fought in the 1948 War of Independence. After the war, he studied economics and law. He became a top economist and journalist. He also led the Israel Securities Authority.
Gadi Taub went to the Hebrew University Secondary School. Then he served three years in the Israeli Air Force. From 1986 to 1998, he wrote and presented children's shows. These shows were on Israeli radio and television. During this time, he earned his bachelor's degree. He studied History and General Humanities at Tel Aviv University. He also wrote a book of short stories. He published a book of essays called "The Dispirited Rebellion."
From 1998 to 2003, Taub studied at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He earned his PhD in American History. His studies focused on American liberalism. He also wrote a novel for young adults, The Witch from Melchet Street.
Gadi Taub's Career in Teaching and Media
Since 2003, Gadi Taub has taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He became a senior lecturer in 2010. In 2007, he published a book about religious settlers. This book was translated into English. Taub suggested that the settlement movement was different from original Zionism.
In 2009, he published a novel called "Allenby Street." He also helped create and write a TV series based on this novel. The series was shown on Israel's Channel 10 in 2012. He also helped write and direct a TV series for Channel 13. This series was called Harem and was about a cult.
Since 1996, Taub has written columns for several newspapers. These include Maariv, Yedioth Ahronoth, and Haaretz. He has also written political articles for American and European newspapers. These include The New York Times and Die Zeit. He was a guest on a political TV show called "Council of the Wise."
Gadi Taub's Ideas and Opinions
Understanding Zionism: Liberty vs. Land
Gadi Taub sees himself as a Zionist. This means he believes Jewish people have the right to have their own country. He supports the idea of a Palestinian state next to Israel in the future. However, he has also said Israel should not allow a Palestinian state right now.
Taub talks about two types of Zionism. The first is "Zionism of Liberty." This is the original idea of Zionism. It means Jews have the right to govern themselves in a democracy. Important leaders like Theodor Herzl believed in this. The second type is "Zionism of Land." This idea became popular after the 1967 war. It focuses more on owning the land itself.
Taub believes "Zionism of Land" is not good for Israel. He thinks it goes against the original idea of Zionism. He also thinks it could lead to problems. He has criticized the settlement movement. He once supported Israel leaving all occupied territories. But he changed his mind after the Second Lebanon War. He felt that leaving without a stable government in place did not lead to peace.
Taub also disagrees with those who want one state for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Views on Immigration Policy
Since 2016, Gadi Taub has supported sending unauthorized workers out of Israel. He believes this should happen unless they truly need asylum. He argues that people should be able to decide their country's future. He thinks it's important to tell the difference between moderate groups and extreme ones.
Taub has also criticized some ideas about different cultures. He believes it's wrong to ignore problems like the oppression of women in some communities. He thinks it's also wrong to say that criticizing these issues is just being against a religion. He was initially against Donald Trump. But he later supported Trump's efforts to stop China's rise and Iran's nuclear program. He also criticized "globalist elites." He believes these groups use human rights ideas to weaken civil rights. He thinks they avoid their duties to their fellow citizens.
Feminism and Equality
Taub has also criticized some parts of feminism for a long time. He argues that some followers have stopped aiming for equality. Instead, he says they see gender relations as a competition where one side must lose for the other to win. He discussed these ideas in an interview with Jordan Peterson. He first wrote about them in his 1997 book, A Dispirited Rebellion.
The Israeli Supreme Court
Taub is a strong critic of the Israeli Supreme Court. He says that since the 1990s, the court has taken too much power. He claims the court has taken power from the elected government. He bases his claims on the work of other experts. For example, Professor Daniel Friedmann and Professor Amnon Rubinstein.
Rubinstein wrote that the Supreme Court can now decide on almost any issue. He said this was a big change from how the court used to work. He added that the court has become very active. He even said it has become like an "alternate government."
Taub also points to Richard Posner's review of a book by Aharon Barak. Posner, a judge from the United States, said that only in Israel do judges give themselves so much power. Other important Israeli figures have also criticized the court's actions. These include former Supreme Court President Moshe Landau and law professors Menachem Mautner and Ruth Gavison.
Taub's main worry is that the public might lose trust in the judicial system. He believes this trust is the court's true power.
Views on Peace with Palestinians
Taub has become less hopeful about peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He has become a strong critic of what he sees as Palestinian refusal to compromise. He recently criticized their rejection of U.S. President Trump's 2020 plan.
Books Written by Gadi Taub
Political and Social Books
- The Settlers and the Struggle over the Meaning of Zionism (2010, Hebrew, English)
- A Dispirited Rebellion: Essays on Contemporary Israeli Culture (1997, Hebrew)
- Against Solitude: Impressions (2011, essays, Hebrew)
Fiction Books
- Allenby Street (2009, novel, Hebrew)
- What Might Have Happened Had We Forgotten Dov (1992, short stories, Hebrew)
- The Witch from 3 Melchett Street (2000, novel for young adults, Hebrew)
- The Giraffe Who Liked to Feel Sorry for Himself (children, 2003 Hebrew, 2006 English)
- The Deer Who Liked Everything Clean (2005, children, Hebrew)
- Things I Keep to Myself (1990, children, Hebrew)
- Things I Keep From Yael (1992, children, Hebrew)
- The Lion Who Thought He was a Coward (2007, children, Hebrew)
