ב-25.8.2016 פרסם Seth J. Frantzman מאמר-ביקורת על המהדורה האנגלית של THE LAND IS FULL מאת פרופסור אלון טל. שלחתי לעורך JERUSALEM POST מכתב-תגובה – שלא פורסם. הנה מכתבי (דברים של Frantzman – בכתב נטוי, של טל – במודגש):
To: the Editor of Jerusalem Post
Subject: Seth J. Frantzman’s “Will too many Israel children lead to demographic disaster?”, 25/8/2016
Dear Editor,o
I thank Mr. Frantzman for the brief summary of Prof. Tal's main theses and for confirming that Tal has "all the correct data". I was less happy reading Frantzman's interpretation of Tal's "wrong conclusions": "…He describes the arrival of Soviet Jewry as a "human tsunami"; Moroccan Jews, the author concludes, were "less able to contribute economically to Israel"; and he claims that Israel's Ethiopians are unable to change their skin color and blend in like immigrants from earlier wave.e
All the quotations are from Chapter 4. That chapter is a brief historical review of Aliyah. Frantzman quotes Tal incorrectly and/or not fully, and hints that Tal is influenced by ethnic stereotypes. But Tal's attitude is diametrically opposed to its interpretation by Frantzman: Tal praises the "human tsunami" of Soviet Jews for its contribution to Israel; Moroccan Jews were "…deemed [word omitted by Frantzman!] less able to contribute economically to Israel" – deemed so in the 1950-60s by the Israeli Government which Tal calls "obtuse"; Ethiopians are lauded by Tal for overcoming the additional difficulties which "their skin color" adds to their "slow but steady blending in", and, adds Tal, their absorption "validated Israel's raison d'etre". Frantzman claims (under the avasive alibi "one almost gets the feeling") that in Tal's view "if only Jews had all been non-Russian, white Europeans from Germany, then it would have been better to have millions of them. Perhaps it's not demographics that is the problem, but not having enough white Europeans in Israel?"o
There in nothing in Tal's book to justify Frantzman's "almost" feeling. Tal tells, why birthrates fell in some countries (Chapter 12): "…There are many fortunate places around the world where population stability evolved as function of cultural transitions. But the demographic equilibrium and the precipitous drop in birthrates that took place in the aforementioned countries for the most part did not happen because of an invisible hand or the intoxicating influence of Western civilization. Enlightened public policies catalyzed these changes in attitudes and familial norms." Frantzman interprets: "…Tal claims Israel needs "enlightened public policies" to keep up with the "intoxicating influence" of Western civilization's progressive birthrates." Unless 'progressive' is a synonym of 'regressive', Frantzman simply misunderstood Tal's analysis. Frantzman does not worry about the future of Israel: "…one solution that's already taken place is the number of Israelis who have emigrated to the US and the EU, and will undoubtedly continue to do so. This will relieve population pressures naturally, as in other countries with high population densities <…> Let the billions of people in India and China have lower birthrates, Jews can have high birth rates and emigrate."o
Except the Jews who are hopeless Zionists.o
Misha Shauli, coordinator of Population, Environment and Society Forum
