Three exceptional short essays. While they are primarily focused on Judaism and Israel, Oz's message reaches Europe and America and the challenges of nationalism and division. ( )

Com Mais de uma luz, o grande romancista Amós Oz se confirma também como um dos mais poderosos ensaístas da atualidade. O livro reúne três ensaios: no primeiro, Oz revê e amplia seu contundente artigo "Como curar um fanático", argumentando em defesa da controvérsia e da diferença. Afinal, um fanático nunca entra num debate: se ele considera que algo é ruim, seu dever é liquidar imediatamente aquela abominação. No segundo ensaio, inspirado no livro Os judeus e as palavras, o autor tece uma belíssima reflexão sobre o judaísmo como eterno jogo de interpretação, reinterpretação, contrainterpretação.

I am out of my depth in terms of evaluating Amos Oz's contentions regarding Israel in the last third of this remarkable little book, but I am humbled and awed by his arguments. His description of what makes Judaism Judaism in the second section of the book is beautiful, and was almost enough to make this spiritually homeless lapsed Catholic want to convert! As far as his diagnosis of the disease of zealotry that he begins with, and carries throughout the book, I believe he is spot on. The bottom line for Oz is what he calls the "simple moral imperative" of "cause no pain." All of us are a long way from achieving that in this world, but it is undoubtedly a worthy goal.

( )

Many thanks to Netgalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Amos Oz for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advanced copy.

One thing is clear, Amos Oz loves Israel. It is his home, his ancestors’ homeland and it figures that he has very strong views on where its future lies. Amoz Oz is a well known, award winning, Israeli author whose works have been translated all over the world. I am a fan, having read several of his novels, so I was really excited to find this latest work. Dear Zealots is a collection of three essays that explore his views on fanatics, Judaism and a solution for Israel. The first essay looks at fanaticism and how to handle “the little fanatic who hides, more or less, inside each of our souls”. Zealots have been around since the beginning of time. Their seduction is their overwhelming interest in you, the desire to make you at one with his world, to lift you up and help you from the low place you are in. Their level of self sacrifice and knowledge of what is best for you is similar to how a parent is with their child. Oz recognizes that everyone, every race, every religion, can create these zealots, by shrinking their world and removing the ability to see things from another perspective or step in someone else’s shoes, and offers that through creativity, imagination and a little humour we might diminish the creation of fanatics.

The second essay Oz discusses his thoughts on Judaism. He feels the religion should not just be for the Orthodox and there is a need for secular pride. He feels that Judaism and humanism are one and the same. By reaching back in history he illustrates the idea (that, by the way, all Jews know very well and that is) that no two Jews will agree, or have the same interpretation of what it means and every one is valid. There isn’t a hierarchical system of cardinals and bishops that all defer to one man, the pope, who decides how each law should be expressed. He searches for an answer to the question “What is the heart of Judaism?”, really he is asking what is a Jew. He attempts to find the answer by looking back into our history and finding out that we are, as the title for this essay. says, “many lights, not one light, many beliefs and opinions, not one”.

The third essay is Oz’s argument of a two state solution. He has long been a proponent of this idea and has written about it many times before. Whether you agree with him or not (and there is plenty I don’t), this is an important book to read for problems that are current, a threat and difficult to discuss without people getting very heated. Well written, thoughtful commentary that is easy to read and definitely worth your time. ( )

Oz thinks that the central quandary facing Jews today is “Does our past belong to us, or we to it?” For Oz, the Jewish imperative to remain fresh and relevant is summed up in a line from the Book of Lamentations, “Renew our days as of old”. He praises Judaism’s most important survival tool, the willingness to reach deep and to search both within the tradition and outside it in order to make the religion feel alive.