The Law School of Tel Aviv University held a conference welcoming Palestinian terrorists as political prisoners (formally, they are). In another happening, Israeli leftists who vociferously urged the destruction of Gush Katif and repressions against its defenders scorned Israeli government for failing on its promises of resettling the evictees. Two superficially opposite incidents share a common cause: intelligentsia loves to be independent, thus anti-establishment, insofar as the establishment continues to finance it.
Nineteenth-century liberal opponents of Russian monarchy wrote fiery articles in narrowly circulating press, and proudly went into resort-like exile. Famed Soviet intelligentsia blasted the communist leaders at kitchen meetings and enthusiastically lauded them in public. It’s so good to be a progressive, brave contrarian when your income is safe. Cynical Soviet leadership recognized the moral poverty of intelligentsia. Several small publications were allowed whopping political incorrectness nearing the freedom of speech. Intelligentsia was happy and all the more supported the government which so generously dispersed liberties. Soviet government played its part and lavished wages, bonuses, and coveted vacation packages on intelligentsia.
Intelligentsia is generally apprehensive of state powers: government giveth, government taketh away. Intelligentsia is apt at producing irrelevant papers which don’t increase knowledge; at publishing subsidized books no one reads; at writing theses condemned to the dust of archives. In many cases, government is their only customer. They despise stupid bureaucrats and politicians, and marvel at their own smartness, but in the end line up to subserviently receive their wages. Truly progressive social thinkers rarely served the governments. Modern intelligentsia lack marketable skills, and cannot afford to yelp too loud at the government tree.
But yelping it likes, preferably down wind. Conservative Jews could prove themselves strong and mobilize the spineless intelligentsia against the treacherous government, or continue their post-Gush Katif lamentations and see the Jewish intelligentsia aligning with Palestinian strongmen.
