What Does a Jew Want?

"In this book Udi Aloni, causing a power fault in the ruling liberal attitude by way of short-circuiting different levels of ideology, art, and thought; rewrites the Oedipus myth and rejects liberal Zionism. Who but Aloni can combine the tremendous poetic power of creating new myths with the perspicuous mind of a cold theoretician? Who but Aloni can ground his ruthless critique of Zionism into his unconditional fidelity to the Jewish tradition? If anyone needs a proof that political theology is well and alive, here it is!" — Slavoj ?i?ek

In the hopes of promoting justice, peace, and solidarity for and with the Palestine people, Udi Aloni joins with Judith Butler, Alain Badiou, and Slavoj ?i?ek to confront the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their bold question: Will a new generation of Israelis and Palestinians dare to walk together toward a joint Israel-Palestine? Through a collage of meditation, interview, diary, and essay, Aloni and his interlocutors present a personal, intellectual, and altogether provocative account rich with the insights of philosophy and critical theory. They ultimately foresee the emergence of a binational Israeli-Palestinian state, incorporating the work of Walter Benjamin, Edward Said, and Jacques Derrida-as well as Jewish theology-to recast the conflict in secular theological terms.

Udi Aloni is an Israeli/American writer and filmmaker whose work explores the discourse between art, theory, and action. His art projects have been presented in leading museums and galleries, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and his films Kashmir: Journey to Freedom (2009), Forgiveness (2006), and Local Angel (2003) have been screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, among other prominent venues. This book was published shortly after the murder of his dear friend, Juliano Mer Khamis, director of The Freedom Theater in Jenin Refugee Camp, where Aloni helped him run the Cinema Department.