The review is from the official blog of the Forum for the Discussion of Israel-Palestine and discussed both the book and the launch event on 12 March.

Read it here

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I’m excited to announce that my new book Uncivil War: The Israel Conflict in the Jewish Community will be published by David Paul Books on 12 March 2014 and is available for pre-order now.

The book will be launched at JW3 London at 7:30 on 12 March.

Here’s the book blurb:

“The relationship between Anglo-Jewry and Israel is perilous, complex terrain – and there are few better placed to navigate it than Keith Kahn-Harris.” Jonathan Freedland

Diaspora Jews are no longer unified in their support for Israel.

The author, a sociologist. Jewish and a committed left-of-centre Zionist, explores the causes of the conflicts and describes his own innovative efforts at conflict resolution. Analysing the various groupings – left, right, secular and religious, pro and anti-Zionist – in Britain and the USA, Keith Kahn-Harris looks at the history of civility in society and examines the different methods used by international organisations and groups involved in developing dialogue within Jewish communities.

He describes, how using these techniques and with expert help, he brought together more than seventy prominent diverse British Jews for a series of encounters. He concludes that dialogue and civility is possible. But with no change in behaviour there will be serious consequences for the Jewish communities of the world.

“A masterful and thoughtful analysis of the various existing positions of Jews and Israel advocates on Israel. This book might just give us the language, the insights – and the pause – for us to do something a little more sensible, before it’s, stupidly, too late.” Clive Lawton – Jewish educator

“I applaud Keith Kahn-Harris for having the courage to examine this vexatious debate in his richly textured book.” Gabrielle Rifkind – Oxford Research Group’s Middle East conflict resolution specialist

The post My new book: Uncivil War: The Israel Conflict in the Jewish Community appeared first on Keith Kahn Harris.

I’m not sure where this leaves my article, or where it leaves Alderney. I do know though that Alderney will not be the same without him. He was a charismatic and fascinating guy.

Here’s a picture I took of him in his garden:

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Alderney chapter pdf

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So here’s the first one, in which I tell the tale of the best waterskier in Luxembourg and the surprisingly fascinating story of the Luxembourg waterskiing scene:

Final chapter one pdf

The post Read the chapter: The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg appeared first on Keith Kahn Harris.

In 2011 and 2012 I worked with the crowd-funded publishing site Unbound on a book called The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg: Tales of Big Fish in Small Ponds. The idea was to choose – semi-randomly – a number of big fish in small ponds and then go and find them and their stories. As well as the eponymous best waterskier, I sought to find the top politician in Alderney, the Icelandic special forces, Malta’s favourite soft drink, the top metal band in Botswana and the best selling novelist in Suriname.

I got a lot of publicity for the project and received a fair few pledges. I managed to go to Luxembourg and track down the best waterskier. I also got to Alderney where I found the top politician. And then…

Well, there’s no hiding the fact – I didn’t manage to raise all the money I needed. I managed to complete the Luxembourg and Alderney chapters, both of which are available to download. But I didn’t get to Iceland, Malta, Suriname or Botswana.

It was always a big ask and I’m grateful for those who did pledge money.

What happens now? Well, I’ve learned a lot from this project. Most importantly, I’ve learned that what appeared at first to be a fairly frivolous and light-hearted idea actually had more substance to it than I’d imagined. ‘Small ponds’ are important, they are places of passion, politics and community. I want to continue exploring these small worlds to which unsung heroes devote their lives. I also want to try and draw comparisons between them and maybe even help them to flourish and thrive better.

So watch this space. The Best Waterskier in Luxembourg may ride again, in a different – perhaps more serious – form.

I will put up the Alderney and Luxembourg chapters as downloads in separate posts.

Keep checking this website or my twitter account for further news. If you have any ideas or thoughts, I’d love to hear from you.

It’s been a blast exploring the brave new world of crowd-funding. Je ne regret rien!

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1 Too Much Metal 29 November

2 Invisible Metal 6 December

3 Music At A Standstill 12 December

4 The Metal Future 20 December

5 Slow Metal 27 December

6 Breaking Metal’s Boundaries 10 January

7 Metal Beyond Metal 17 January

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Roger Waters and the Antisemitism Question in Guardian Comment Is Free, 16 December 2013 [also published in the newspaper the next day]

Antisemitism Hasn’t Gone Away: We Must Find A Way to Talk About It in Guardian Comment Is Free, 8 November 2013

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via Concord rabbi listens with his soul – West – The Boston Globe.

Unlike him though, I never ‘found God in the moshpit’

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