The Seventh Day and the question of Israeli identity

Beit Avi Chai presents "The Seventh Day and the question of Israeli identity"

"The most important document thus far about this war ... This book describes a series of meetings that may shape the soul and consciousness of an entire generation." (Haim Gouri)

The Seventh Day (Siah Lohamim in the original Hebrew version), published after the Six-Day War, quickly became a bestseller and introduced a new language into the Israeli discourse. In contrast to the postwar cult of generals and intoxication with victory, The Seventh Day voiced a skeptical tone and presented an unsure, tormented side of Israelis. In this series we trace the history of The Seventh Day, including the birth of the term "shoot and weep" and basic issues of Israeli identity that came up in the book and remain with us to this day.

Moderator: Dr. Alon Gan, head of the Department of History at the Kibbutzim College of Education and a lecturer at Tel Aviv University

Part 1: Against Intoxication with Victory
Three nerve-wracking weeks and six days of war took Israeli society on an emotional roller-coaster that started with anxiety and ended with albums, celebratory songs, and a cult of generals. What happened to Israel in the summer of '67? On the waiting, the fighting, the victory, and the intoxication, and on one book that came out against all of this.
Guest: Muki Tzur, one of the editors of The Seventh Day
Singer: soprano Anat Efrati
Thursday, January 7, 7:30 PM

Part 2: The Conversation That Was Deleted
The editors of The Seventh Day chose not to publish the interviews with students in the Merkaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem. The euphoria that these soldiers expressed was inconsistent with the aims of The Seventh Day and was erased from the pages of history. In this session we bring the soldiers and editors back together to examine the highly charged encounter between the secular kibbutz movement and religious Zionism.
With:
• Rabbi Yochanan Fried and Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun, participants in the Seventh Day interviews at the Merkaz Harav yeshiva
• Amram Hayisra'eli and Avishai Grossman, two of the editors of The Seventh Day
Actors and readers: students from the School of Performing Arts at the Kibbutzim College of Education
Thursday, January 14, 7:30 PM

Part 3: The Tanks of Tammuz versus The Seventh Day
Another book that left its imprint on the Israeli discourse was The Tanks of Tammuz, by Shabtai Teveth. The session will invite the heroes of both legendary books and will explore how they see the books from their present perspective.
With:
• Avinoam Brog and Shai Huldai, participants in The Seventh Day
• Maj. Gen. (Res.) Ori Orr and Col. (Res.) Dr. Mordechai (Morele) Bar-On, two of the heroes of The Tanks of Tammuz
Actors and readers: students from the School of Performing Arts at the Kibbutzim College of Education
Thursday, January 21, 7:30 PM

Part 4: Shoot and Weep?
The Seventh Day gave birth to the phrase "shoot and weep," which became a key term in the public discourse. In the last session of the series, we bring together Israeli soldiers who have taken part in postwar interviews from the Six-Day War to Operation Cast Lead for a conversation on military force and humanistic values.
With:
• Prof. Avraham Shapira, principal editor of The Seventh Day
• Prof. Amia Lieblich and Dudu Palma, participants in discussions during the first Lebanon War
• Danny Zamir, initiator of a conversation among soldiers following Operation Cast Lead and head of the Rabin pre-military academy
Thursday, January 28, 7:30 PM

The series will be broadcast live, and a simultaneous event will be held as part of Zayit (Jewish Cultural Identity) in Emek Hefer.

This is a Hebrew-language only event.