Of Fatherhood and War: Benzion Netanyahu Doubted His Son Was Tough Enough To Lead the Jewish State

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

‘Can you imagine what it must have been like having him for a father?” asked one of the writers for the Jewish Forward newspaper after an editorial dinner with Benzion Netanyahu. Mr. Netanyahu’s son, Benjamin, had recently been elected prime minister of Israel, and we’d all been expecting expressions of paternal pride. Instead, the elder Netanyahu bluntly voiced doubt that his son was tough enough to lead the Jewish state.

That was back in the late 1990s. It was the only meal I ever had with Benzion Netanyahu, who died Monday at the age of 102. But I have often thought of the writer’s question. Clearly Netanyahu’s formula for fatherhood was successful. One of his sons, Jonathan, led—and gave his life in—the 1976 hostage-rescue raid on Uganda’s Entebbe airport that inspired the world. Another, Ido, is a physician and playwright. And the voters of Israel lifted up Benjamin Netanyahu to prime minister not once but twice.

The thing to remember is that Benzion Netanyahu played his own role in the history of Israel and America, and he did something transcendent. He taught with particular clarity one of the hardest and most important truths that every Jewish person has to learn, namely that anti-Semitism is not about Jewish behavior. He exposed his own facet of this truth by the noblest methodology—scholarship. He pored through the pages of history to disclose the facts of the Spanish Inquisition.

Full article is accessible here.


The New York Sun

© 2024 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use