Zeev Sternhell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zeev Sternhell
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| Born | 10 April 1935 |
| Died | 21 June 2020 (aged 85) Jerusalem, Israel
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| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem Paris Institute of Political Studies |
| Occupation | Historian, writer |
| Known for | Research on the roots of fascism |
| Spouse(s) | Ziva Sternhell |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Awards | Israel Prize, 2008 |
Zeev Sternhell (Hebrew: זאב שטרנהל; 10 April 1935 – 21 June 2020) was a Polish-born Israeli historian and political scientist. He was also a writer and often shared his thoughts on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Sternhell was known as one of the world's top experts on fascism, which is a political idea that combines strong nationalism with a type of socialism, often leading to authoritarian rule. He led the Political Science Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and wrote for the Haaretz newspaper.
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About Zeev Sternhell's Life
Zeev Sternhell was born in Przemyśl, Poland, on 10 April 1935. His family was Jewish, wealthy, and had Zionist ideas, meaning they supported a Jewish homeland. His father and grandfather were textile merchants.
When he was five, his peaceful world changed. After Poland was invaded in 1939, his father fought in the Polish army and died soon after. Their home was partly taken over by Soviet soldiers. Later, when Germany attacked the Soviet Union, his family was forced into a ghetto. His mother and older sister were killed by the Nazis when he was about seven.
An uncle helped him escape the ghetto to Lwów. This uncle found a Polish officer and a working-class family who were willing to help Jews. With fake papers, Sternhell lived as a Polish Catholic with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. After the war, he was baptized and became an altar boy in a church in Kraków.
In 1946, at age 11, Sternhell went to France on a Red Cross children's train. He lived with an aunt and learned French. He was accepted into a school in Avignon.
In 1951, at 16, Sternhell moved to Israel through Youth Aliyah, a program for young immigrants. He went to a boarding school. In the 1950s, he served as a platoon commander in the Golani infantry brigade. He fought in several wars, including the Sinai War, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and the 1982 Lebanon War. In 2008, he still called himself a "super-Zionist," meaning he strongly supported Israel.
From 1957 to 1960, he studied history and political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He earned his degree with honors. In 1969, he received his Ph.D. from the Institut d'études politiques de Paris. His research was about the ideas of Maurice Barrès.
Sternhell lived in Jerusalem with his wife, Ziva, who was an art historian. They had two daughters. He passed away on 21 June 2020, after a medical surgery.
His Work as a Professor
In 1976, Sternhell became a co-editor of The Jerusalem Quarterly magazine. He wrote for it until 1990. He started teaching political science at the Hebrew University in 1966. By 1982, he became a full professor. In 1989, he was given the Léon Blum Chair of Political Science at the Hebrew University. He also joined the editorial board of History and Memory.
In 1991, the French government honored him with the title "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres." This award recognized his great contributions to French culture. In 1996, he became a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Political Ideologies.
Awards and Special Honors
In 2008, Zeev Sternhell received the important Israel Prize for Political Science. Some people tried to stop him from getting the award. They asked the Supreme Court of Israel to deny it. However, the court decided not to get involved, saying it was not their decision to make.
What He Studied
Zeev Sternhell believed that fascism was a mix of anti-materialist socialism and nationalism. He thought its ideas came from movements that reacted against the French Revolution of 1789. He looked at different groups that influenced this movement.
He argued that the main ideas of fascism actually started in France in the 1880s. He believed World War I then helped these ideas become a strong political force in Italy. However, some historians disagree. They think the key parts of fascism came together because of World War I, not specifically from France in that early period.
His research caused some debate, especially among French scholars. They argued that the Vichy regime (1940–1944) was more traditionally conservative than truly fascist. Other scholars said that while Sternhell's ideas shed light on fascism's intellectual roots, fascism itself had many origins. They believed its popularity among working classes also needed to be considered.
Stanley G. Payne, another historian, noted that "Zeev Sternhell has conclusively demonstrated that nearly all the ideas found in fascism first appeared in France." But he also said that fascism first became a political movement in Italy.
Sternhell's ideas about Spiritualism and fascism also led to discussions. He claimed that Emmanuel Mounier's personalism movement shared ideas with fascism. Sternhell argued that Mounier's "revolt against individualism and materialism" would have led him to share fascist ideas.
His Political Ideas
Many people saw Sternhell as someone who wasn't afraid to challenge the government. He was like an "academic 'keeper at the gate'" who would point out things others didn't want to see. Sternhell strongly supported the Israeli peace camp. He often wrote critically in Israeli newspapers about Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.
He described himself as a liberal.
In his book The Founding Myths of Israel (published in Hebrew in 1995), Sternhell wrote that Zionists mainly justified creating Israel in 1948 by saying Jews had a historical right to the land.
Sternhell saw Jewish settlements in the West Bank as a goal of religious Zionism and part of labor Zionism. He believed that the more moderate part of labor Zionism couldn't stop this because it fit with deep Zionist beliefs. He thought these settlements were a danger to "Israel's ability to develop as a free and open society." This was because they put nationalistic goals above social and liberal goals.
He said the Oslo agreements changed things greatly. He called them "a true revolution" for Zionism. For the first time, he said, the Jewish national movement recognized the Palestinian people's equal rights to freedom. He ended his thoughts on this by saying the only question was the price Israeli society would pay to overcome resistance from settlers.
In a 2014 interview, Sternhell suggested that some signs of fascism could be found in Israel.
Pipe Bomb Attack
On 25 September 2008, Zeev Sternhell was attacked at his home. A pipe bomb exploded, injuring his leg, and he was taken to the hospital. Police found flyers at the scene that offered money to anyone who killed members of Peace Now. They believed right-wing extremists attacked him because of his views.
From his hospital bed, Sternhell said the attack showed how fragile Israeli democracy was. He stressed the need to defend it strongly. He also said that if the attackers wanted to scare him, they failed. But he added that they tried to hurt his family, and for that, there was "no forgiveness." After leaving the hospital, he said he would keep sharing his opinions.
The French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, spoke out against the attack. He said it was an attack on the values of peace that inspired Israel's founders.
In October 2009, Israeli police arrested Jack Teitel, a Jewish extremist from Florida, for the attack. Police said Teitel, who seemed to act alone, also admitted to other attacks.
See also
- J. Salwyn Schapiro
- List of Israel Prize recipients
