On 6 December 2012, aficionados of quality reportage were in for a real treat: the Law Firm invited a Gazeta Wyborcza journalist, winner of numerous awards, Paweł Smoleński.
Having read books such as Izrael już nie frunie and Balagan. Alfabet Israel, the attendees could listen to a chat entitled „Who is a modern Israeli: nationality, religion, memory”.
Paweł Smoleński made us realise how deep and diverse the ethnic and political divisions are in Israel of today. Based on this discussion, he argued that the key questions asked by the Israeli citizens are those of their own identity and co-existence with other people in the same country and geographic region.
The lecture followed by a very lively discussion helped us understand that the issues of contemporary Israel could not be analysed in a complete detachment from the experience of the Diaspora and the Holocaust.
Our guest delivered a wide and clear presentation of the issues of Anti-Israelism and Anti-Semitism and highlighted the most important threats to the further existence of the today’s Israel. There was a detectable, true admiration of the Israeli tradition in his political and social observations, in particular admiration of the Jerusalem, a cultural melting pot. Paweł Smoleński really encouraged us to contemplate this subject.
