Jonathan Kestenbaum a leading light in the Israel peace movement returns to the UK

Jonathan Kestenbaum a leading light in the Israel peace movement returns to the UK

A little snippet in the Jerusalem Post caught my eye two weeks ago. Jonathan Kestenbaum, who shot to prominence three years ago following the publication of his Israel army diaries, is returning to the UK to become Executive Director of the newly installed British Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks.

To say that the Kestenbaum diaries caused a bit of a stir would be an under-statement. Published around the world, Kestenbaum couldn't have been prepared for the onslaught that followed. Dozens of right wing protestors gathered outside his home night after night, and he became a figure of abuse by those who felt that his outspoken criticism betrayed loyalty to the Jewish state.

The political divide here in Israel is as polarized as ever. Israelis on the right are intent on settling the West Bank claiming security concerns and biblical imperative; whilst the moderate left have been searching for a voice to express the anxiety of a generation growing up as occupiers.

So when Jonathan Kestenbaum, a British born Jew who arrived in Israel almost five years ago alerted the nation to the humiliations of Occupation it signaled a new dawn in the State of Israel's ability to face up to its treatment of Palestinians living under Occupation.

I went to see him in the small apartment he shares with his wife and two young children in West Jerusalem. At first Kestenbaum had turned down my request for an interview. I explained that I was a great admirer of Rabbi Sacks. Only then did he relent saying "a nice way of getting through the door".

Once through the door he was not quite what I imagined. He seems too young to have been at the centre of a political storm but at the same time he has a quiet confidence and charm that belies his age. Certainly he is articulate. But any inkling that his actions were due to his youth and naivety were quickly dissolved.

I asked how a man in his late twenties had the moral courage to stand up to what he witnessed. As a young man my preoccupation was with girls and alcohol rather than conflicts. He sighed and said "anyone who saw what I saw would have done the same thing". But they didn't I countered did he have any idea what the reaction to publishing the diaries would produce and did he regret publishing them?

He sat back. "I remember one time, when I was given leave and I was heading home from one world to the other. I couldn't understand how life was just continuing in its casual way. I couldn't understand why there wasn't more protest, more dissent. It was then I decided to go public. But no, I never appreciated the effect my diaries would have."

What was the most difficult experience for him, I asked, once the diaries had been published? "Two things stay in my mind: The first was when there were demonstrations outside my home from right wing activists calling me a traitor to the Jewish people and saying I should go home to England. Well they are getting that wish answered! The second happened a few days after I published the diaries. I walked into a hotel here in Jerusalem and members of my family who were visiting from the States walked out of the room saying they wouldn't be in the same room as someone with such views about Israel".

He hinted at more fall-outs and when I pressed him further he relented. There had also been fractured friendships. "A number of my closest friends were upset by the stance I took. I lost friendships for ever".

Was it worth it? "I often wonder" he says pensively, "particularly because of the effects on my family. But I wrote what I saw in the hope that it would have an effect on others and in the hope that the full effects of Israeli occupation would be understood".

I was puzzled by one thing which doesn't seem to add up. Kestenbaum won an outstanding soldier award following his basic training. And yet this was followed by the diaries where he took an unprecedented dovish stance. How can he explain the paradox? It was the only time in the interview that he showed his frustration "You see there's the tragedy. People don't understand that these two elements, that is Israel's security and self determination for the Palestinian people are utterly consistent with each other."

When I said that I could understand how that message wouldn't be easily understood by an Israeli public scarred by violence he continued "When I arrived In Israel, like all Jews, I was called up for military service. I have always been concerned about the security of the Jewish state and equally committed to the national rights of the Palestinians. Security for Israel and justice for the Palestinians". Kestenbaum is now on a roll "why wouldn't any enlightened person understand that this has to be the aspiration?"

Kestenbaum narrowly escaped being court-martialed for his diaries and the accusation of whistle blowing. But he continued to speak at peace rallies encouraging others to speak up against Occupation. He smiles when I suggest he is now lauded as a peace activist' conceding that he never set out to become a peace activist "but if I have helped to move the debate in Israel then I am pleased with the outcome".

How did he feel about leaving Israel to take up one of the most high profile offices in British religious life? "I am passionately committed to the Jewish community in Britain. It is where I grew up and in many ways it is who I am. And of course Rabbi Sacks is an inspirational figure. But living these few years in Israel has been an important part of my life as a Jew and I have benefited from the great educational institutions that I have attended. I've also made many friends who I will miss".

Will he continue to rally for peace when he's back in the UK, or has he been too burnt to delve back into the Israel maelstrom? "Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and we need to have an open dialogue on the moral issues raised by its need for security. A search for peace has to be in the interest of the long-term survival of the Jewish state and I know that Chief Rabbi Sacks will use his position to reinforce that view".

What would he say to those in the UK who are angry by the stance he took when publishing the diaries? Does he think it raises questions about his ability to lead the Chief Rabbinate in the years ahead? He contemplates but I can sense he's already thought about the answer: "Look", he says. "Of course there will be those who don't share my views. I won't hide though from saying that Occupation is dehumanizing. And peace will involve vast concessions from Israel. But ultimately we all want the same outcome a safe and secure State of Israel. Where we differ is how we achieve that end".

"At the same time, the Chief Rabbi's Office in the UK has significant challenges of a very different nature and I do feel that a whole new chapter is about to open".

As I left, I couldn't help feeling that the years ahead will be interesting for Kestenbaum. They say the Brits have a stiff upper lip but this Englishman spoke out when it might have been easier not to. I was still no closer to answering a burning question: if he could turn back the clock would he publish the diaries again?

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